Schaetzle Shenanigans: The Smell

This morning as I got Shelby out of her bed, it dawned on me. She smells like my child!!! To most of you, that is probably the wierdest statement you have heard in quite awhile, but I was so excited. Let me explain because if you have not adopted you may have never thought about this.

When we brought Shelby home and for many weeks afterward, she smelled strange to me, often in a bad way. No, it wasn't messy diapers all the time, although, believe me, they ARE BAD!! It was just a smell her body had, and it didn't smell like us, our bodies, our home, etc. Like, you know when you stick your nose in the back of your child's neck as you are hugging them and your mind says, yep, that's my kiddo (even if it is a stinky boy who has been playing, ie sweating, outside). Well that was not my reaction when I picked her up, trust me. Until this morning, when I realized that she doesn't smell strange to me anymore. She smells like my little girl.

I'm probably explaining this badly, but it was a nice little "Thank you, God." moment. I know that most of you adoptive moms that check in are sitting there, grinning, totally "getting" what I am talking about while the rest of you are just grinning because I'm making such a big deal out of a little smell like I'm going crazy or something. So glad I could give you all a smile.

On to pictures, which I put last today so you would at least skim my thoughts. These are a few weeks old on the last couple of hot days of summer. I realized I had not taken any swimming pics all season, so I got a few. Both kids love the water.