Warning- this is majorly cheesy, but if you know me, you know that I am majorly cheesy, so deal. This is where I chronicle how I feel about my girls, so here it lands.
Dear ______ (sorry, but you don't have a for sure name yet), but for now I will call you my little lovie-
We have a chalkboard that hangs in the kitchen, the hub of our busy and happy home. For weeks, we have been eyeing a countdown of how many more days until you are set to make your big arrival. Every morning after breakfast, your Daddy, big sister, and I head over there and erase the number and delete one more day, as we are 24 hours closer to seeing your sweet face. And every morning, I get butterflies in my tummy when we do it. This morning, we got down to 25 days. Just 25 days until we will surely see you. Am I nervous to have 2 little girls to take care of, nurture, kiss, hug, feed, change, teacher, entertain, and, oh yea, turn into productive members of a society with sometimes questionable morals? Well, yea, I am. But the excitement that I feel when I think about holding you, caressing your cheeks, hearing your newborn noises, taking in your smell, and feeling your head nestled in my chest blows away the fear of the unknown. Watching you grow from a cuddly sweet baby into a little girl will, no doubt be one of the greatest joys in our lives, and I can't wait for the journey of YOU to begin.
It seems as though you were meant to be in our family from the start, when I think about how it has all happened. Your Daddy and I had to work very hard to get your big sister into our arms, but you, sweet girl, you just appeared. It felt meant to be right from the beginning, like you will just slide into our family as if you were always here. Always know that you are here for a reason, and we are excited to see all that you become!
Your big sister, Leah, is especially excited to meet you, even though, at just under 2 years old, she does not quite understand what your arrival will mean. She loves babies- everything about them- and she is already talking to you, trying to feed you through my tummy, giving you kisses, and blowing you raspberries. When we say our prayers every night, she even mentions you most of the time with no prompting (this melts your Daddy and I like nothing else in the world ever has, by the way). I think she can feel the love we all have for you, and, whether she knows it or not, she loves you already. I can't WAIT to see the two of you together. I can just imagine watching you play, sit at the kitchen table, share (and often not share) and grown and change while always loving one another. Your Daddy and I love our siblings so much, and we are so happy that you and Leah will have one another forever and always. Cherish that relationship, as few of them in your life will compare to what you share with her. After all, who else int he world will understand what it is like to have us as your crazy parents? :)
Many people say that when they were expecting their second child, they worried that they might not have enough love to go around. Although I have my fears, I am not worried about that. I can feel the bond you and I share every time you wiggle and hiccup. I know with all of my heart that I will love you as intensely and immensely as I do your precious sister, and I promise to always try to see you for who YOU are, and to support what you want to be. I hope, more than anything, that you always know how much love your Daddy and I have for you, and that we will always put you first, above all else in life.
You girls are our most precious gifts, Sweetie, and you always will be. You are loved, and many, many people are anticipating your arrival with open arms and waiting hearts. Although we are busy getting your room ready, washing clothes, installing you carseat, and all the other preparations, your Daddy and I know, without a doubt, that all that REALLY matters about this process is that you get here safely and that you join our loving family. Stay in there for awhile, though, baby girl, cause I will miss feeling you grow and move. You are such a miracle, and I never want to take that for granted.
I will see you, feel you, smell you, hear you, and love you (oh, and name you!) even more in just a few short weeks. Until then, my little love, keep growing and get ready for your beautiful life to begin!
Love,
Mommy
Monday, January 21, 2013
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
22 months old!
My darling Leah, at 22 months old, you...
- Weigh about 25 pounds, and are 33 inches tall. You fit perfectly into 18 month clothes still, but some 2T fits you alright.
- Sleep 10-12 hours at night, and nap for about 2 1/2 hours during the day. You DO NOT stop moving in between. You are the busiest toddler I have ever seen!
- - Are still a Mommy's girls much of the time, but some days you are absolutely stuck to your Daddy, and beg for him when he is out of sight.
- Have an incredible vocabulary. You speak in full blown sentences all of the time now, and you are really great at communicating your needs and at making us laugh! Some of your big sentences right now are "I'll be right back", "I love you, Mommy", "Eah go to the ____ "(store, museum, whatever), " Come with me, Mommy", "Baby go night night time", "Eat eat dinners please", and the list goes on and on.
- Speaking of things you say- you are in a HUGE "It's MINE" phase, and have been for about a month now. You just have to tell everyone that everything under the sun is yours, all of the time.
-Have started to use the potty, albeit irregularly. Some days, you are very interested, and others, not so much. You are very proud of yourself when you go, though, and LOVE to wash your hands!
- Still eat quite well, but you have some days when you are pickier than others. You still eat your veggies just about every meal with no protest, though, so we are on the right track! You love yogurt, toast, sandwiches, all kinds of fruit, milk, water, cookies, mac and cheese, turkey, eggs, peas, and cereal with milk.
- Are bonding more and more very day with your baby sister, who is set to join our family in less than 2 months. You like to give my tummy kisses, blow raspberries, and even read your favorite books to her. It absolutely melts us!
- Like to play with other kids more and more these days. You light up when you see Emmy, Kayli, Isabella, Makayla, and Ty. We have been having a ton of playdates, so you are in hog heaven.
- Every night, when we say prayers, you get to pick one special person to think of that night. Your favs are Papa, Mommy, and Baby Sisser. It is darling.
- Adore singing! Some of your current favs are "Happy Birthday", "Clean Up", "Twinkle Stars", "ABC's", "Money Song (You Never Give me Your Money), "Old Mc Donald", "5 Little Monkeys", and of course, "Sunshine".
- Are head over heels in love with your babies. You have 2 strollers, 3 cribs, a highchair, a potty, 2 diaper bags, a bouncy seat, and a carseat for them, and you can play with them for an hour no stop if we let you. You have little conversations with them all the time. We hear "It's ok, I hold you", "Let's change diapers", and "Come here, baby" ad you play and play and play.
- You also love reading, watching videos of yourself, dancing in the kitchen, cleaning, bathtime, helping me cook, your Little People, Play Dough, running, jumping and climbing, and going outside.
- Are wearing me out like nobody's business as I near the end of this pregnancy, but your smile, giggle, and kisses make it all better. You are becoming a little girl in front of my eyes, and I am already so proud of the person you are becoming and trying to savor each day as you get smarter and more spunky every day. You have a kind, compassionate heart, a zest for life, and a darling disposition. I just love you so much, my girl, and I always will.
- Weigh about 25 pounds, and are 33 inches tall. You fit perfectly into 18 month clothes still, but some 2T fits you alright.
- Sleep 10-12 hours at night, and nap for about 2 1/2 hours during the day. You DO NOT stop moving in between. You are the busiest toddler I have ever seen!
- - Are still a Mommy's girls much of the time, but some days you are absolutely stuck to your Daddy, and beg for him when he is out of sight.
- Have an incredible vocabulary. You speak in full blown sentences all of the time now, and you are really great at communicating your needs and at making us laugh! Some of your big sentences right now are "I'll be right back", "I love you, Mommy", "Eah go to the ____ "(store, museum, whatever), " Come with me, Mommy", "Baby go night night time", "Eat eat dinners please", and the list goes on and on.
- Speaking of things you say- you are in a HUGE "It's MINE" phase, and have been for about a month now. You just have to tell everyone that everything under the sun is yours, all of the time.
-Have started to use the potty, albeit irregularly. Some days, you are very interested, and others, not so much. You are very proud of yourself when you go, though, and LOVE to wash your hands!
- Still eat quite well, but you have some days when you are pickier than others. You still eat your veggies just about every meal with no protest, though, so we are on the right track! You love yogurt, toast, sandwiches, all kinds of fruit, milk, water, cookies, mac and cheese, turkey, eggs, peas, and cereal with milk.
- Are bonding more and more very day with your baby sister, who is set to join our family in less than 2 months. You like to give my tummy kisses, blow raspberries, and even read your favorite books to her. It absolutely melts us!
- Like to play with other kids more and more these days. You light up when you see Emmy, Kayli, Isabella, Makayla, and Ty. We have been having a ton of playdates, so you are in hog heaven.
- Every night, when we say prayers, you get to pick one special person to think of that night. Your favs are Papa, Mommy, and Baby Sisser. It is darling.
- Adore singing! Some of your current favs are "Happy Birthday", "Clean Up", "Twinkle Stars", "ABC's", "Money Song (You Never Give me Your Money), "Old Mc Donald", "5 Little Monkeys", and of course, "Sunshine".
- Are head over heels in love with your babies. You have 2 strollers, 3 cribs, a highchair, a potty, 2 diaper bags, a bouncy seat, and a carseat for them, and you can play with them for an hour no stop if we let you. You have little conversations with them all the time. We hear "It's ok, I hold you", "Let's change diapers", and "Come here, baby" ad you play and play and play.
- You also love reading, watching videos of yourself, dancing in the kitchen, cleaning, bathtime, helping me cook, your Little People, Play Dough, running, jumping and climbing, and going outside.
- Are wearing me out like nobody's business as I near the end of this pregnancy, but your smile, giggle, and kisses make it all better. You are becoming a little girl in front of my eyes, and I am already so proud of the person you are becoming and trying to savor each day as you get smarter and more spunky every day. You have a kind, compassionate heart, a zest for life, and a darling disposition. I just love you so much, my girl, and I always will.
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