All I did was blink. I closed my eyes for a single second and when I opened them a budding little girl sat before me. Those delicious round cheeks still intact but somehow a little less baby-ish. Untamable, swift curls of ever-lightening hair springing out from behind her ears. Her big bright eyes brimming with the same curiosity and wonder as the day she was born but also a touch of wisdom. And all I did was blink.

Alex and I went back and forth on a couple Halloween costume ideas for Dakota but since she loves animals so much (and because babies in animal ears/hats/bonnets are irresistibly charming) we knew that was the right route to go.