Nhyya Noelle Gordon.

She was asleep in her car seat when they got to the park last week, looking as precious as ever.

Detra whispered her name and she peeked her eyes open, looked around, and closed them back.

Then she smiled, opened her eyes again, stretched out her arm and waved her tiny hand right at me.

After three weeks of not seeing my face or hearing my voice, Nhyya still remembers me. Something I feared she would not.

I cried. When she waved at me, I actually cried.

I cried because I missed her and I cried because Nhyya knows me. She knows my voice. She knows my face. She knows me.

Nhyya is the first child I've watched grow from day one (well, day four). She's the daughter of one of my best friends and she calls me (well, Detra calls me) "Aunt Ali."

She's this beautiful girl who's already so incredibly smart and full of life. Every time I see her, my heart melts a little more as I notice all the growing she's accomplished. Each time we meet she's smarter and funnier.

She leans her head toward your mouth when you make a kissy face at her now.

She sticks out her tongue now. I think it's the discovery and the novelty of it that she likes. But it might be her display of focus. Or it might be because she likes to make people laugh. I don't know. But I love her. I love everything about her.

I think until I have my own, I'll never love another child more than Nhyya.

I have so much to learn from her.

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603.

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never fully-clothed or intentionally misinforming

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