Spot the difference!

What a difference a year makes. We were taking a pic of Grace with her first hair grip in this week and all of a sudden it brought home to me how much she has grown and developed. Sitting on her Daddy's lap just hours old she's so tiny even though she was a 'big baby' and here I am a short 12 months later putting in a hair grip and asking her opinion if she likes it. She doesn't answer me yet of course. Her repertoire remains limited to Dadadada and Babababa etc. But I chat to her nonetheless - it pleases me to ramble on as I go about my day and it seems to cheer Grace as she enjoys the interaction, albeit on a basic level. People on the high street surely think I'm crackers as I babble on and play racing cars with the buggy in the supermarket aisle. They're welcome to think what they think - I know I have a child who hasn't had a meltdown since she was in her first quarter, and I'm happy with that. I don't tire of looking at her, big blue eyes staring up at me, blinking, and I think to myself what I lucky devil I am. Love her to bits and she's mine, all mine.

Grace 4 hours old, August 2010.

Grace at 12 months, August 2011.

Grace 5 days old, August 2010.

Grace on the road, August 2011.

What a difference a year makes.