lipstick and little girls

do you ever have those days that you just want to bottle up? the days that you just want to keep forever and ever?
the past few days with maggie have been like that for me.

the girl has been killing me with the words coming out of her mouth. things like,

mama, where is daddy?

 he is at work, baby.

awwww man! can i have a coffee?

or

mama, is daddy sleepin?

  nope. he is still at work.

oh, i know! he is in the bath! 

no baby, he is at work.

ohhhh i know!! he is makin pizzas. makin pizzas!

 

she has been giving me more snuggles than normal. always asking if she can be a baby - and then wanting me to hold and rock her. she is growing up so fast, but still so little.

this week i was looking around in the messiest closet in our apartment for her gloves. and i hear some lip smacking and a sweet little, " mama, mama, yook at me, yook at me!" the words "maggie, just wait" almost fell from my lips, but i stopped myself and indulged in her request. as i brought my head out of the closet i saw my sweet toddler with her belly pushed out,  hands behind her back, bedhead at its finest and her proud smile - lips perfectly puckered and a twinkle in her eye. 

 i freeze. should i discipline or giggle? should i tell her playing in mama's make up is a big huge no-no or should i stop and enjoy this moment?

i went over to my daughter, i looked her straight in the eye and i told her she looked so fancy. her face beamed. she swayed her little body back and forth and continued to jabber on about how she wanted to wear "yips" {which means lips in maggie talk...} we walked hand in hand to the bathroom where she showed me how she stood on her tippy toes to reach my bright red lipstick. and i watched her put it on over and over. she applies it very carefully, and doesnt get it all over her face - surprisingly most of it actually gets on her slimy little lips. she puts the lid back on carefully and says, " yook at me! yook at me!! mama, you take pickchure and i say cheeeese!" 

i pulled that camera phone out of my pocket and took nearly 10 photos of my little girl. telling her she looked so fancy, and that she was beautiful even without the lips. to be in that moment with her, watching her feel so grown up, so much like her mama, trying so hard to be just like me - my heart welled up with emotion. she is watching, she is learning and she is the sweetest thing to ever happen to me. 

we played around for a little while with my makeup brushes and lipstick and then i told her that next time she wants to "wear lips" she needs to ask mama. later that night, when she was getting ready to go out on a date with nick, she asked me, "mama, i wear pink yips pwease?" i smiled and allowed a little bit of pink gloss on her baby lips. 

the moments like this are becoming more frequent. more often i want to bottle her up and keep her at this sweet stage forever. i cant seem to get enough of her and am saving all these memories, all the feelings and tucking them in the corners of my heart and mind to be there when we are having days that i want to scream, days where i want to be selfish and for the days that she doesnt want to cuddle me and have me help her put on her "yips." 

xoxo