Children are inherently curious and drawn to nature from a very early age. Like most babies, toddlers, and children I know and have taught, windows are a huge point of interest. Windows give way to so much fascination, curiosity, and wonder. In fact, when I taught in a Full Day Kindergarten classroom, one of our classroom windows was called the 'Wonder Window' - complete with a special frame the children made to make it even more inviting and wonder-full. Children can look and gaze out the window for long periods of time - there is so much to notice and see, regardless of whether you have a nature, cityscape, or even a parking lot view.
Mila's current age of 10 months (umm, when did that happen!?), seems to be bringing new daily development. She is so actively engaging with the world around her: noticing animals, fascinated with our dog and especially her eyes, turning pages of books, crawling to what she wants to explore, feeding herself, opening and closing cupboards and containers. The list goes on and on. It's a wonder for me too, as I get the privilege of witnessing it all, moment by moment. I love seeing her eyes light up, or her brow furrow in confusion or frustration, and hearing her voice mimicking our sounds and words. It's these 'little' moments that I want to capture forever -- but even taking a picture seems inadequate; a photograph is insufficient in truly capturing the feel, the love, the magic of these moments.
A month ago I hung some faceted crystal spheres in the window of our main living space, with some nylon thread. At first, my intention was simply to capture her interest in the crystals - they twirl and sparkle, and are absolutely beautiful. However we quickly discovered that they would bring us so much more wonder...
On my birthday last week, we were standing near the window together -- Mila was in my arms, as I watered our window plants. All of a sudden, I noticed that instead of looking at the plants (which she also enjoys), or looking out the window, I felt her studying my face intently. I quickly realized the rainbows must be on my face. I stood as still as I could, as she brought both hands up to my face - she was finally close enough to 'touch' the pretty lights! I watched her, looking at my face in wonder, and I found myself desperately wishing the moment would last forever. Or at the very least, for a little longer than a minute or two. That moment was magic, for both of us.
