You've got a friend in me

It has been nearly 5 months since we welcomed home our beautiful baby girl.

Recently, our wonderful friends and neighbors also got to experience this joy! Ella Grace was born on July 26th, and today, Leah got to meet her gorgeous new friend.

Casey and I are so excited for them! Not only was Mommy thrilled to be welcoming a baby - any baby! - but she got the sweet little girl she was secretly hoping for (I can relate to that!).

I couldn't help but reflect on how amazingly quickly they change! It is just incredible to me that 5 short months ago, Leah looked almost exactly like this:

- Except the head. Leah's head was never, ever that tiny -

- In her "I'm learning everything" phase of life, Leah wanted to touch the baby to figure her out -

- I love this picture! I can't decide if I think Leah is trying to comfort Ella, or doesn't know what to make of all the noise -

It is amazing to me too how easy it is to forget just how tiny they were:

My sweet baby has (just) begun wearing 6 month clothes, even though she isn't quite 5 months yet. She has nearly doubled her birth weight. I still think of her as being sooooo little - but having a newborn around makes me appreciate just how far she has come!

And, as much as I treasured that newborn phase of life, I am enjoying the one we are currently in so much more! I adore watching the determination in Leah's eyes as she takes on new experiences. That smile; that giggle; that spunky, wiggly, independent girl... she melts her momma's heart in new ways every day.