My little energetic toddler,

Our adventures are becoming more regular than our down time.  I might need to let you rest!  I think I will do that tonight (Friday, June 7th).  We have fit an awful lot in the last week.  In fact, I am so glad I am writing things down by the week, because I would sure miss a lot if I didn’t.  You can thank your Aunt Jess for inspiring me to do that!

We went to Wave Country again last Friday with our dearest buddies Jess, Steve and Reme Lynn.  While Jess was acclimating RL to the water, you were running in and out and having a grand time!  You love to push the tubes around in the water, but I had to teach you to hold onto the handles, or the tube would inevitably pull you face down into the water.  Of course I am right there to grab you and your cute little life jacket out of the water, but you just want to keep going!

Saturday, we went to the zoo!  Samantha and Abigail Grace were there with us for a while before Jess, Steve and Reme Lynn joined us.  You and AG were having a blast together – holding hands, chasing birds, and just laughing at each other.  You rode the carousel, fed the birds, pet the goats – discovered bracelets (actually they were goat brushes, but hey – who cares! Life is what we make it), played in the toddler area, and ran through the open field.  We had such a blast!  You LOVE the zoo!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday, we went to our neighbor friend’s (and your sitter for the summer) son Eli’s birthday party. He turned five and we got him a superman toy.  The party was at the Charlie Daniel’s Park in Mount Juliet.  You LOVE playing at the park, and since they covered the toddler area we were able to play even though it was raining.  I let you have a few bites of cake, and you were exhausted!  That night I went to the symphony with my friends Cathy, Rollie eand Ellen and I had a great time while you hung out with your interim Grandma, Lesa!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Monday, Daddy was able to come home for a few hours and we went to the park and played.  He had to leave Tuesday morning, but we take what we can get!  Tuesday, we stayed home and actually went to bed at a decent time.  Wednesday, we went to the park with Jess and Reme Lynn.  Thursday, we met Aunt Kristin and Evan Miller for some fun at Pump It Up!  That was a ton of fun and you and Evan Miller had a blast playing together and doing your own thing.  You two have been friends since you were in our bellies   Then, since your daddy was in town for CMA Fest, we went to meet up with him for an hour downtown Nashville.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tonight, Friday, June 7th – we are just going to cuddle in front of a movie, unless of course you decide you just want to play and release some of that awesome energy, and then maybe the park is again in our future.

The things you do:

• Roar
• High Five
• Hand Shake
• Fake Sneeze
• Eat with forks and spoons (though it gets all over you, you are really good at it!)

 

 

 

 

 

• Say: Kitty Cat (ti-taaaaa, ti-taaaa), Dog (Daaaa), No (a lot), Yeah, mama, da-da, duck (duuuu), ball (also daaaaa), shoes (in your unique way, aka Motorboating), fish and frog (almost!  you have the ffffffff), thank you (ti-ti), bath (baaa), pretty much anything I say – you will say once and then forget that you can say it
• Sign: Milk, all done, more
• You understand the signs for: sit down, hungry or eat, thank you, eggs and cheese
• You know where: your ears are, your belly button is, your nose is, your shoes are and attempt regularly to put them on your feet
• Put earplugs in your ear (you are your father’s daughter)

 

 

 

 

• Climb… on everything (up and down, up and down)
• Cry when I take something away from you or don’t let you bit me
• brush your teeth (more like suck on the toothbrush, but you gotta start somewhere)
• DANCE!
• TWIRL!
• SING!

You had your very last bottle on Saturday night June 1st!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you for sharing all of these wonderful adventures with me!  Your Daddy and I love this life with you! ~Mommy

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Dear Mollie-Girl,

(So I am a couple days late in posting – Ha!) Tomorrow, June 1st, you will be 63 weeks old.  We have had a busy week!  We left last week to be a part of the celebration weekend for my friend Cylene.  Cylene Walker-Willis) was my maid of honor when I married your daddy in 2001, and at her wedding on May 25th (12 years later) I serve as her Bad A** MOH!  Matron of Honor is my actual title, but that sounds quite old – so I am going with Bad A** MOH!  We flew out of Nashville on Wednesday night, May 22nd, after I got off work.  Daddy took us to the airport.  He was really sad to see us go without him.  He was really having trouble being away from you, but he was a tropper.  You had a bit of a rough time on the plane that night.  You were disoriented from the ear-popping and you were off your normal sleep schedule.  You did great, but every time we descended, you screamed because I know your sweet little ears were hurting… not to mention you were EXHAUSTED and UNCOMFORTABLE!  Well… we finally got to Grandma and Poppa P’s house around 12:30am.  I just put you in the bed with me… we slept well for about 5 hours.  Then it was time to get up and go visit your Great Grandma Kehl, Great Uncle Dan, Great Aunt Kristy, Great Uncle Luke and your 2nd cousin Spencer.    We loved seeing them all.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After we left Ada, we went to Stillwater.  After checking ino the hotel, I went to Cylene’s Studio “Art of Dance” and learned the dance she wanted me to be in at the wedding.  It was a dance for her new husband, and LOTS of fun!  Then I went over to hang with Cylene at her house for a while before heading back.  I got in around 1am, Grandma and I talked for a while and finally went to bed around 2am.  Then you woke up around 4:45am… OUCH!  Grandma took over, because she is a superstar and I was able to sleep a little longer.  Friday morning we went to meet up with Great Aunt Vanessa, Rachel and her friend.  We went to Eskimo Joes and then to a park – we had so much fun!  It was great to see them – it had been so very long!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friday night was the rehearsal dinner!  Cylene looked beautiful and we had a blast.  The officiant of the wedding was an old friend of mine, Michael West.  He and his fiance were there, and we caught up on the last 15 years.  It was so much fun!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saturday – we got up and I went to get my hair fixed up for the wedding and then went to Cylene’s house for pictures.  I didn’t take many pics, because my phone kept dying.  Hopefully, I will get more when Cylene gets her pictures back!  It was a beautiful wedding.  You came out around the time of picture taking, and by the time the wedding was ready to start – you were done.  Grandma took you back to the hotel, so I could stay there and support the new Mrs. Walker-Willis!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We got up really early on Sunday and drove back to Dallas to hang out with your cousins and Aunts and Uncles.  It was a blast.  We grilled out and went swimming.  Pictures to come!  I will post without them for now!  Grandma Mollie is sending them to me

Monday was Memorial Day – Daddy got home around noon and we went straight to the wave pool!  We had so much fun – you LOVE the water!  You are fearless, which both excites me and scares me out of my wits!!!

 

 

 

 

 

Oh… our adventures are too numerous to count and our lives are full.  You bring such joy to us each day.  Each second is different, each moment is exciting.  I love, with all of my heart, being your mommy, but most of all I love YOU my darling.

Love – Mommy

 

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Dear Little Cuddle Bug,

I feel like I should start doing a weekly update going forward since the monthly updates have grown quite lengthy, and I still miss out on documenting a lot of cool stuff.  Soo… let’s see how this goes.    I am just going to list all the fun things you are doing right now… it is a lot.

~ You are giving high fives

~ Shaking hands

~ Repeating words like (bubbles)

~ You can locate your belly button every time we ask you

~ You can sometimes locate your nose, but mostly you just dig your belly button

~ You mimick everything we do

~ You love modeling your shoes… all of them… every night (you don’t say shoes you basically vibrate your lips when you are trying to say shoes)

~ You love to read books (mostly about animals, specifically about cats)

~ You love to hug animals and your friend Ashlynne

~ You love to pull out the parchment paper, crumple it and make lots of noise with it – it makes you laugh and laugh

~ You love to play peek-a-boo – it makes you belly laugh

~ You regularly vocalize your opinion by yelling baby babble intermingled with real words)

~ You love to let mommy chase you around the couch

~ You use to love the vacuum cleaner, but now it seems to scare you a little

~ You love putting your hands (and last week your toothbrush) in the cat water bowl

~ You love playing in water (not just bathwater, and cat water, but at the beach)

~ You are fearless (which is both awesome and very scray)

~ You love to feed us and the cats

~ You like eating while you run around and play… not eating while sitting in your high chair

~ You love to throw your food on the floor (I sort of love this, so I sweep and vacuum a lot)

~ You are not interested in giving up your bottle at bedtime, which I would like for you to do… Daddy is not worried

~ You give me lots of kisses and hugs.  You want to be on the move, so sometimes you stop by, give me a kiss, sit in my lap for .05 seconds and then get up and keep going.  I will take all I can get… so thank you

~ You love the petting zoo and the toddler play area at the Nashville Zoo… A LOT!

Here are a few fun pics from the zoo, Pump It Up, playing at home, etc.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love watching you grow, change and learn daily.  I am having the time of my life.  The thing I love is that you seem to be having the time of your life too.

You are my beating heart… I love you!

Mommy

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Dear Mollie-Girl,

Of course this is the third time I have had to combine two months together.  The challenge for me is that way too much has happened in the last two months to really do your development any justice.  It has just been so much fun “being there” for all of this development.  Lest I let you believe that life is perfection, we have had a few bumps along the way.

The very short version of the last two months has been Development, Growth, and Keeping us on our toes!  You climb on everything, you are almost running, we get high fives… and low fives, you like to shake our hands and while mommy was sick – you started grabbing a wipe, blowing your nose and mimmicking me sneezing.  You find this quite hilarious – I must admit that I do as well, which leads to a coughing fit.  I have finally decided to admit that after 14 years in Nashville, I have developed allergies.  About four times a year, during violent changes in the weather, I get yucky sick.  Well… it just happened 3 weeks ago (still coughing, sneezing, blowing my nose, and losing my voice) again and it has been no fun.  The same weekend I came down with my allergy attack, your daddy came home really sick with a stomach bug and had a 101 fever.  You didn’t catch the stomach part, just the bug…   Well… it could have been a bug or another round of teething, but I think it was the bug.  Your fever got up to 102.6… GEEZ!  A really funny thing is that I typically sing to you at night to put you to sleep.  I sing a lullaby, I sing “Count Your Blessings” from White Christmas, and I sing “I’ll Love you Forever.”  Well, being that I have been so sick, my voice sounds horrible.  You actually pushed my face away and said “No!” when I tried to sing to you the other night.  I know I sounded bad, but that was a little painful.  So… I am holding out on the singing for a while.  I promise…

Teething… now this is truly a party in your mouth.  You have cut so many molars, you are going to have a mouth full of teeth before you are 18 months old.  You have 14 teeth right now – two are breaking the surface.  Since your first birthday, you have had a couple of teeth-cutting ceremonies that have led to diarrhea, fevers, and quite a bit of crankiness.  I don’t blame you – I remember how cranky I was when my dang wisdom teeth were pushing their way through in my 20′s… I was not a happy camper, so I can’t imagine what you are going through when it is constant.  You take it all in stride though, and are kind enough to let mommy and daddy distract you with things like Pump It Up.

Besides the zoo and the park, Pump It Up has become our new favorite place.  We take you there when it is rainy, cold and I am sure very soon when it is too hot to step outside.  You have a blast climbing things, bouncing in the big bouncy houses and sliding down the giant slides.  You also love watching other kids.  You are fascinated, and it always makes your emotional little mommy more emotional!  The other thing that turns me into slimy goo on the floor is how sweet you are… you love to give hugs and kisses.  The other day you kept trying to give Ashlynne (your sitter’s 2-year-old daughter) hugs.  She was smiling at you, but not quite sure what you were doing, so she kept backing away.  The third time you tried to give her a hug and she stepped back you fell forward, and I knew I was in trouble because my heart broke.  I keep asking myself what I am going to do the first time someone hurts you purposefully or not.  I will handle it, hopefully with grace, but boy is it painful.  Lots of good, happy pain too though!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Your daddy has lots of play dates with one of his road buddies and his daughter.  You like to go to the zoo, the park and eat watermelon together.  You love the petting zoo far and above everything else!  The other day mommy planted her first set of plants and trees.  I was pretty impressed with myself.  You helped, but mostly by eating the dirt.  I am really not sure how that tastes good, but you like to shove it in there.  Most of the time I can catch  you and get it all out, but you were a mess after our first planting experience.  The bathtub looked like you hadn’t been bathed in a month.  You had fun though, and that is all I need!  While we were planting, daddy was setting a trap for a family of opposums that have made a home under our house and really messed it up down there.  We are getting that cleaned up…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This last weekend was my first time away from you.  I spent the night away from you when I had the surgery, but it was only a few hours.  I spent from Friday morning, May 3rd to Sunday evening May 6th away from my baby girl and boy was that hard.  It was the weekend of my friend Cylene’s bachelorette shower.  We had a lot of fun, but I was very happy to have you back in my arms.

One thing I learn from your sweet daddy every single day is to let you try.  I do that most of the time, but there are times when I let fear intervene.  He is so great about just letting you try… don’t get me wrong – we are right there by your side, behind you or above you with our arms extended and on high alert in case you need us, but just letting you explore and try yourself.  9 times out of 10 you are able to do what you are trying to do without our help, and it really impresses me.  1 time out of 10, you fall and bust your lip or bump your head, but we are there to kiss it and make it better.  You are adventurous, and it is making me more adventurous.  When I get home in the evenings, you run into my arms and then pull away, give me that adorable Mollie smile like you are challenging me to chase you or tickle you and you turn and almost run away from me giggling and looking back… just waiting for me to follow.  I crawl around on my knees, hide behind the sofa, chase you through the kitchen, throw you in the air, play horsey, and do some general roughhousing.  Then you climb back in my lap to give me a hug and a kiss and we start all over.  These are the moments I want to capture forever.  Knowing that one day I will lose you for a period of time… you will want to break the strings and become your own woman.  I know that I will want these moments to hold onto.  The ones where you needed me, wanted me there by your side.  Geez… that is a lot to put on a little girl’s shoulders, but it won’t be on your shoulders.  I will hold back what I go through and your daddy goes through, and we will just let you fly.  I just think maybe one day, when you have children of your own (should you choose to do so) then this might help you remember to cherish every little second… take a picture with your mind of all the giggles, snuggles, belly laughs, tickle fights, chasing matches, kisses, hugs, dances, and hide-and-seek moments, and then to write them down so they will always be with you.  I have been trying to  get a real picture, caputure the moment in my mind and then set that aside and just enjoy you.  The reason I feel real pictures and writing these moments down are so important is because it still amazes me how much I forget even from month-to-month.  I think to myself “I will never forget this moment,” and then when I go back to read my blog occasionally, I say “I had forgotten that!”

We went to Florida in April to see your Uncle Mike, Aunt Lindsey and three cousins, Jacob, Julia and the newest addition… Jenna!  We had a blast.  It rained the whole time, so we could only go to the beach one time, and we got a downpour, but you LOVED IT!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am excited every single day… even though your daddy and I live in sort of a constant state of being tired, we wouldn’t trade it for the world.  This may be a shorter blog entry trying to encompass a very busy and full two months, but I think it catches the jist of how quickly you are growing… all you are learning to do… and how amazing it is to see your personality coming out in such a beautiful way.  I am ready for you to chill on the teething, so you can enjoy some congestion-free, fever-free, diarhea-free moments   We look forward to this summer and all of our travels.  We are going to Oklahoma in 2 weeks for my friend Cylene’s wedding, Grandma is going with us, so when I am doing wedding things you are getting to have fun with Gma!  We get to meet your Great Grandma Mollie, your Great Uncle Dan, your Great Aunt Vanessa, Great Unlce Andy and cousin Rachel.  In June we get to go to Chicago to see Uncle Abe and Aunt Val, then to Northern Michigan to see Grammie, Great Grandma Pokoj, and all of our Michigan family.  Then for the 4th of July, Grandma, Grandpa and all of your Aunts, Uncles, and cousins on mommy’s side are coming into town to celebrate Uncle Abe and Aunt Val getting married.  That should be great fun!!!

What a wonderful life we have.  What a sweet, fun, loving little girl you are.  Being that it is Mother’s Day this Sunday, I just want to say what an honor it is to be your mommy.  I am a lucky mamma, and so grateful that I have you in my life.  You are my sunshine, my precious angel, the joy of my life.  I love you so very much my little monkey.

I’ll love you forever

I’ll like you for always

As long as I’m living

My baby you’ll be

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love you to the moon and back…Mommy

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My Sweet Little Monkey,

Our new little nickname for you stems from your desire and persistence in climbing everything… the couch, chairs, high chair, mommy and daddy, the fireplace, and on and on.  I love that you are so active, but I think I might be having regular heart attacks just making sure you don’t learn the lesson of gravity too quickly.  You seem to be quite fearless, which leads to my irregular arrhythmia. 

You know how you started taking steps on January 16th?  Well you have been full blown, walking-wherever-and-whenever-you-want-to since the weekend before your birthday.  You think you are hot stuff now!  Unless you are snugly and cuddly, you want to be down moving, climbing, walking and occasionally crawling to your very important destinations.  You keep us moving and most definitely on our toes.

You got an ear infection, had horrible diarrhea, are cutting three more teeth, had a slight anemia scare (which turned out to be nothing), and took a couple of falls on your journey to becoming a baby walker Those have been our rough moments.  Mommy also has this nasty habbit of wearing you out.  I like to be active and on-the-go on the weekends.  Daddy is out of town, so sticking around the house is particiularly boring.  You and I have a good time, but I want you to experience things – not just hang out at the house.  When I start feeling that way, I OVER plan the weekend, and this last weekend I wore you out particularly well… so much so that your sleeping schedule (that you set for yourself) got way off and you were not a happy camper.  So, this is a lesson for me… one I am taking a nice long time to learn.  Have you picked up yet that I have done this more than once

We threw your big one-year party on your Birthday – March 17th!  What a time we had.  Your Grammie and Bernie and Grandma and Poppa came to Nashville to be a part of your big day, which meant so much to your Daddy and me.  You had so many wonderful friends come to the party… The Bruce’s, The Kitchenman’s, The Rager’s, The Hohe’s, The Hess’s, The Hawkin’s, The Roggendorff’s and the Miller’s.  We were planning your party outside to have room for everyone since our current home is so small (about 1,100 sq. ft.), but right before your party the temp dropped about 15 degrees and with all the little ones and cold-natured adults, we had to bring the par-tay inside the casa.  2013 has been an interesting year in weather.  It is almost April and it has been snowing – SNOWING for the last couple of days.  It makes no sense.  Your daddy and I are so ready for Spring – we want to get you outside, go to the park and the zoo!  We long for the day we can get you back in the water – we plan to enroll in family swimming lessons this spring as well.  It is time to have some sunshine and play time outside!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mommy has had an interesting month emotionally.  I love having so many girlfriends that are going through similar emotions – it helps me to feel a little less crazy   I have been thinking so much about the day you were born, maternity leave, all we have done in the last year, how small you were, how you fit perfectly on my chest (you still do, but you are much longer now) and how fast time seems to be traveling.  How is it possible that it has been a year since they put you in my arms?  How is that now you are an independant, talking, walking, signing, active little monkey?  I have been processing how to enjoy each moment, remember the moments past, but mostly to enjoy today… the present.  It can be hard when you miss the past and are excited about the future.  I really do think that is where this blog comes into play.  It helps me to remember all the amazing things that have happened when my memory fades or my brain is just full of life and all of your current “new things,” and will help me tell our story in the future.

We have a lot coming up… a lot of trips.  We are going to Florida to meet your new cousin, going to Oklahoma to be a part of Mommy’s sweet friend Cylene’s wedding and going to Northern Michigan to take you to the Ocean again.  This is just through June!  I have just completed two photo books… one I made beginning when Mommy got pregnant with you through the end of 2012 and the other is all about your first birthday; pics and party.  I will do another one for all of our 2013 adventures.

I love getting to know you monkey… you are fun and vibrant.  You leave me in awe daily… I mean jaw-on-the-floor awe EVERY SINGLE DAY!  I love watching you grow and learn (you are doing three of the signs we have taught you… Milk, More and Bye).  I just sat the other day and watched you playing.  You have a little princess car and it has a seat that opens and you LOVE to pick things up and put them in boxes or whatever is available.  I watched you open that seat, load it up, close it, open it back up, take everything out and then start all over.  You did that for a really long time and then walked over to your toybox to find something else to do.  I don’t know why this made me tear up, but it doesn’t take much these days   You are pretty amazing.

I have tried to start taking some time in the mornings with you to just snuggle.  You seem to cope with the day a little better (at which you are a champ and VERY HAPPY) to just sit on mommy’s lap int he morning and snuggle with me.  I love this time.  It is harder when I have to get to work and now that we are getting rid of bottles.  I have to get you up earlier (we already get you up at 5:30am) just to feed you, but this time we have during the work week is something very precious to me.  You seem to love and need it.  I try to be sensitive to whwat your needs are, but it is helpful when you give me a hint of what you need.  You can tell me more every day through signs and pointing (which you love to do).

Mostly you just need to know that Mommy and Daddy love you… to the moon and back.  I tell you 1,000 times a day, and you should get used to that, because it will always be that way.  You will never doubt of our love even when we disagree or argue, but we will always be restpectful and loving towards you… this is our goal.  We love you for exactly who you are, which emerges more daily.  I look forward to every single day with you.  I love you so much it hurts… literally.  It is painful and will be hard for you to understand until you have your own child one day… if you decide to do that.

You are special, your are worthwhile, you are beautiful inside and out, you are important and most importantly… YOU ARE LOVED.

All My Love,

Mommy

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Sweet Mollie Girl,

We are just a few days into your 11th month here on this Earth, and what an adventure we have had already.  You still seem unsure of taking steps.  You and I walk around the house holding hands, just one hand, and you do so well!  You are standing on your own a lot, but we have to stand you there   You haven’t stood up on your own from the ground.  You are getting close to that though.  You love to be on the move.  You LOVE your musical walker, and if you can’t get somewhere fast enough, you crawl to your walker and then walk to your destination!  You are so much fun!!!  I mean look at this adorable little girl

We went to visit your Aunt Kristen and your BFF Evan Miller (EM) last night (January 25).  We were all a hot mess… coughing, sniffling, sneezing, stuffy head (basically a nyquil commercial), but you girls had a lot of fun playing together on the floor.  Here is a pic of the two of you.

You do this adorable thing with your right foot.  You like to twirl it.  I hope you always do this… it just warms my heart.  I haven’t been able to get video of it, but I am going to keep trying.

We went on a date on February 2nd.  We really needed some mommy and daddy time.  We went to F Scotts and then to Street Theatre Company’s “Love Letters.”

We had such a wonderful time, and you had a blast with Aunt Pam and Paige.  You were cracking them up, because you kept dropping things just to say “uh-oh” your newest words of choice.  Of course we play that game at home all the time, but hearing about someone else tell me about it makes me smile from ear-to-ear.   You cried a little when we left, but you were perfectly fine once we were out of sight.  You woke up around 9:30pm and when we arrived at 10:10pm, you were wide awake, had peed all over Aunt Pam, and almost lost your mind when you saw us.  You only had eyes for daddy though.  You wanted him to hold you and you snuggled up on him.  I tried to pull you into my arms, but you were having none of it.  It was okay though, because you only wanted mommy when we got home.

You have started feeding the cats and us when you are eating.  You want to put cheerios or puffs in our mouths – what a little sharer you are… Actually I think you just find it an interesting thing to do.  You first started this process at bath time when you liked to put your foam letters in our mouths to watch us bite.  You thought it was hilarious and we would play like that for 15 minutes straight.  Then you started dropping turkey for Kramer and then feeding daddy your cheerios.  I love all of these little things you do.  I don’t ever want to forget them, and sometimes I can’t remember what happened two days ago, so writing it down is the only way I know to be able to tell you all the amazing things you did and when you did them.

I have been sharing about you with some friends lately, and yes I do say constantly how amazing you are and how fun it is being your mommy and watching you grow, but the thing that blows my mind is how adaptable and happy you are.  You just go with the flow and enjoy meeting new friends, you enjoy going to restaurants, and are very vocal!  You love to talk and sing and generally let everyone around us know that you have something to say!  You are little miss independant, which is very like your mamma – and you do it with pizazz!  I think you might be cutting a molar, because for the last week or so, you have not been super excited at bedtime.  During the day you have been a little more fussy too.  That is the only thing I can think of, because it hits you at weird times.  I so wish you could just tell me where it hurts so I could fix it, but I know that time will come.  In the meantime, I use my intuition and just check the list off one at a time.

One of the things that mommy LOVES most, besides you and daddy, is performing, directing, and being a part of the theatre.  Right now I am Assistant Directing a show called CATS, but we are doing it in concert without all the makeup, fur and spandex.  I have rehearsal two nights per week and on the weekend (the show opens on February 20th).  I can, and have, taken you to rehearsal, but you are at an age where you want to be busy and free to roam, so instead of confining you to a play pen, our dear friend Samantha and her little girl, your friend Abigail Grace, hang out with you and you play and have a big time!  I love that you get to play with AG – you seem to have such a great time, and you were worn out when I got home last night!

You LOVE berries of all kinds, so we take them to daycare for you to enjoy, as well as at home.  Your teacher, Ms. Kristy, sent me a pic of you eating them yesterday (February 7th)… this is how it looks at home.  Daycare is on the left and home is on the right.  You also stood up on your own for the very first time yesterday (February 18th).  What a big, fun girl!!!

We took some fun Valentines pics, as well as some pictures for your birthday party invite.  You are absolutely the most beautiful, most adorable and most fun little girl I have ever known.  Perhaps I am biased being your mommy, but you have a personality to match your adorable factor.  I can’t even begin to tell you how I just love getting to know you every day!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I finished this blog yesterday and then the page froze and I lost everthing after the pictures.  Sooo… I am writing this again.  This is the last blog post before you turn ONE YEAR OLD!!!  I can’t believe how time has flown and how much you have grown.  I watch you constantly and just marvel at  how talkative you are (still not saying many words), but your babble is full of inflection.  We do know (though you don’t say the complete word) that you understand mamma, dada, duck, kitty cat, dog.  We are pretty sure you understand thank you and have tried to say it.  It is pretty surreal to see you standing up on  your own, cruising around the house, putting food in our mouth, giving food to the cats, pulling books off the shelves, developing your coordination and soaking up every piece of information you are taking in right now!  You have been sick the last few days (2/17 – today), but you still have this sweet personality that just rolls with it.  Until it is time for bed, and then you really fight us.  I love being amazed every day and just melting on the inside every time you astound us again with something new.  I… love… it!

I know I talk all the time about the complete joy and pure fun it is to be your mommy.  While that is 100% true, I experience a lot of fear.  I second guess myself and wonder if I am doing the right thing.  I do have mommy guilt – no doubt.  I question how I handle everything where you are concerned simply because I want to be the best mommy I can be for you.  The fear can be immobilizing, so I had to remind myself that above all – your daddy and I love you.  We will protect you, hug you when you are sick or scared, kiss you when you get hurt, hold you when you just need to know we are near by and be there to talk to every day.  The most important thing is that we are a team – we love each other so much, and that will never change.  I can’t imagine it right now, but as I watch my friends that have older children I do realize that there will come a day when I will get upset or frustrated with you.  There will also be times when you get upset or frustrated with me, but we will talk it out and hug it out, and move forward.  That is how I have learned to develop good and long-lasting friendships.  Communication… It is also the reason your daddy and I have such a strong marriage.  We talk through everything even when we don’t feel like it.  We will do the same with you.

Mollie, you are the joy of my life… and your daddy’s.  I want you to know, even now before you would even understand it, that I will always love you unconditionally and support you completely.  There is nothing you can do that would impact that.  I will always give you the opportunity to tell me what you think, and to express your feelings.  I will hear your opinion and I will give you mine.  I will always tell you if I think you are doing or saying something that will hurt you or others, I will warn you of danger, but give you freedom.   We are in for a lot of adventures together… I look forward to each day, because it is another I get to spend with you.  Even though we are not together constantly… Mommy and Daddy have to work, but our thoughts and our hearts are always with you.

Today (February 20), I am reflecting a lot back to the day you were born.  One of my closest friends, Jess Miller, is having her daughter today.  We have been waiting for this little angel for a really long time.  I am so excited and nervous inside for them, and I remember the overwhelming love I felt for you when you were inside me, but when they put you next to my face and then in my arms – my life changed forever.  You had stolen my heart forever.  You will forever have it.

I love you my sweet precious baby girl.  Next stop – ONE YEAR BIRTHDAY PARTY!   I will be blogging up until that date, but that date might have to be its own special post.

I love you to the moon and back,

Mommy

P.S.  Here are a few more pics from this past month

This is you and Daddy cuddling while we were waiting on our friend Van to show us a house

 

 

 

 

This is you giving me a kiss on your very first Valentines day

 

 

 

 

This is mommy dropping you off at daycare and just needing a pic of us for the day

 

 

 

 

This is us hanging at the house… it looks like you grew a lot of brown hair overnight

 

 

 

 

We facetime a lot with family, so you can get to know their faces and so they can watch you growing.  This is Uncle Abe and Aunt Val from Chicago.  While they don’t look happy – we laughed the whole time we were facetiming… you were hilarious.  You did crazy baby with them and you kept sticking your face in the water and blowing bubbles.  You don’t know how adorable you are, not even a little bit.  But they look pretty concerned here

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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We have had such a busy few months!  It just seems to be flying by.  Since November 17th, we have visited family in TX, mommy had a surgery, family came to visit for Christmas and in between it all you continue to grow so fast.  One of my goals was to nurse you until you were one year old, but mommy needed to have a surgery.  One day I will tell you all about it, but it all worked out best (insurance, work time, etc.) to have the surgery on November 2th.  Due to this surgery being moved up, I had to stop nursing you at 8 1/2 months old (though we had stored breast milk that took us out to 9 months).  This was very hard on both of us.  I didn’t do a very good job of weaning you, because I just wasn’t ready to let this go… so we both struggled with separation anxiety.  You wanted to be near me all the time and I wanted to be near you (I always feel this way, but this was different).  It was harder to drop you off at daycare and you refused to sleep in your crib for about two weeks.  I must admit though, that this helped me as well.  You wanted to be in my arms all night and that is actually what I needed too.  We made it through and things seem to have regulated.  You are a champ.  While I am sad that I could not nurse you until you turn one year old, I am grateful for the time we had and this surgery will allow me to be the best mommy (in terms of health) going forward.

From November 22nd to November 25th, we gathered with mommy’s entire immediate family.  Grandma, Poppa, Uncle Adam, Aunt Melinda, their babies Eliana and Hoshea, Uncle Aaron, Aunt Jenny, their babies Olivia and Lily, Uncle Abe, and Aunt Val.  You enjoyed being with your family, and playing with your cousins, though you definitely would get worn out.  Below is a precious picture I took of you with your Aunts.  Your shirt says “I’m as cute as my aunt,” and as you can see – they are some good lookin’ ladies.   We took family pictures while we were there, and once daddy sends them to me – I will post them.

 

 

 

 

This is a pic with your Uncle Abe when we went to

The Aquarium Restaurant in the Grapevine Mills Mall!

This is a pic of you and Popa while he was feeding you!  

Once we arrived home, mommy had surgery.  Aunt Kristin brought you to see me in the hospital so Daddy could stay with me until I woke up.  We were so happy to see each other, but there was nothing I wanted more in the entire world than to wake up and see your beautiful, sweet, amazing face.  Your smiles did not disappoint.  November 26th was the first and only night I have spent away from you since you were born.  Mommy did not like it at all, but Daddy took wonderful care of you.  I came home the next day and have healed wonderfully since then.  After mommy healed, it was time to get ready for Christmas!  Your Uncle Aaron, Aunt Jenny and cousins, Olivia and Lily came into town and we had a big time!!!

We went to meet Santa, played in the snow, opened presents, made cookies, and spent a lot of time cuddling.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On top of all the holiday fun we have been having, you have been growing and impressing us ever single day.  You have been free-standing 

 

and cruising around on your musical walker

You have been giving us kisses every time we ask, which I have not been able to catch on picture, but is the sweetest thing I have ever experienced.  I love it!  You are so very much fun.  You have been wrestling with a cold for a while, coughing, sneezing, and feeling kind of yucky, but you still have such a sweet attitude and are such a joy.  You are so adaptable to every situation, and you love meeting new people.  It just warms my heart.  You charm everyone you meet, and give them an easy reason to smile or laugh.

One thing you get sooo excited about is bathtime.  Daddy thinks it is funny to dress you up in bubbles.  Here he gave you a bubble hawk (mohawk).  You also love to stick your face in the water and drink the bath water… whether or not there is soap.  Yuck!  But you love it!  I can’t wait to take you to the wave pool this summer – you are going to LOVE playing in the water. 

We had a great time on New Year’s Eve!  We rang in the new year with Uncle JJ, Aunt Cathy, Diane, Amanda, Sarah, Helen, Rollie, Bill, Maddie, Ellen, Dave and Sarah.  You did pull-ups and most importantly you welcomed in the New Year and brought everyone luck.  Well… actually we welcomed in 9 o’clock, which was midnight in Chile, so we rang in their new year in Spanish.  The countdown was pretty impressive… diez, nueve, ocho… Well… you get the idea

We went by the second week of January to see your daddy working.  They were at rehearsals for the new Luke Bryan tour, Dirt Road Diaries.  Luke (the artist your daddy works for) is finally the headliner.  At this point, your daddy has worked for Luke for 4 years and 3 months.  He has gotten to grow with him.  It has been pretty amazing.  These rehearsals are where they set everything up and practice the whole show.  Your daddy is very proud that he will be mixing on the top-of-the-line monitor console.  Your daddy loves to learn, so he enjoys getting the latest thing and learning it from scratch.  It keeps him sharp in a competitive industry, but mostly he just likes to learn.  Tantrum, the company that will do the video graphics for Luke’s tour, gave you a t-shirt.  Well, the owner Molly did.  She loved you and you loved her.  She put the t-shirt on you and you were a hit!  We are going to do some advertising for them!!!

You took your first step on your own when you stayed home with Daddy on Wednesday, January 16th – the day before you turned 10 months old.  I don’t know how to process the speed at which you are growing and learning, but I am loving every single minute of you.  You are such a sweet, lovely little girl.  I love every single second I spend with you, and I think of you when we are apart.  What a lucky mommy I am to have you, my joy, as my daughter.  I look forward to the next month and all the adventures we will go on together.

I love you so much my sweet.

Mommy

 

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 The last two months have been so busy and so crazy, and so this is one of those times where I will need to combine two month’s worth of happenings into one letter.  This is probably going to make the letter really long since you are a busy little monkey that does something new every single day. Wow!!  You are officially closer to being a one-year-old than you are to being a newborn.  Time seems to be going by in fast-forward. We had a wonderful surprise from October 4th – 6th when your Grandma Mollie from Texas came to see you.  She spent a lot of time snuggling with you, playing with you on the floor, feeding you your solid foods and giving you baths.  She loves you so very much, and I can’t wait for you to get to know her better!  Your grandma had me when she was 24… I had you at 34, so I started thinking that I will be 10 years older at every stage of your life – YIKES!  But… age is just a number and you will keep me young We went to eat at Salsarita’s in Mount Juliet, took a trip to Costco, played at home, took you for a walk in your stroller (which you totally dig if the Bjorn isn’t available) and snuggled and played with you at home! 

 You started crawling (October 15th), went to the zoo for the first time (October 20th) pulling yourself up and standing (October 23rd), celebrated your first Halloween (October 31st), Clapping and doing the sign (we think) for more (Nobember 1st), sort of experienced your first presendential election (November 6th), had your first ear infection (November 9th),stood up unassisted – for like two seconds – (November 10th), and took your first trip to the park (November 11th).  You got two more teeth to equal 4 at 7 months and your 5th tooth at 8 months and you are growing another one. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You started crawling in mid-October with a sort of army crawl and then moved to a crab crawl and now you are just fast as you can be on all fours.  I know you wish you could stand… you try all the time, but you will get there.  Right now you are about as mobile as I can handle.  You are into everything.  In fact a few days ago daddy got to you just as you started playing in the cat water.  I have caught you with a handful of catfood.  Even though we have our eyes on you constantly and are chasing you around, you still manage to get into everything.  Tonight (and many other nights) you have pulled down every single book off the bookshelf (that you can reach).  We love watching you do that…. it is just part of watching you learn and grow. 

When we took you to the zoo, you seemed to have a lot of fun.  You enjoyed watching the animals that were closest to you.  You love being in your Bjorn, so it was fun being outside walking around.  You are totally not into having anything on your head anymore (this makes me sad, but your daddy assures me you will let me put hair flare on you again), so you took off your cute brown hat and now it is a toy for some animal   Your favorite part was the petting zoo.  You were able to pet the goats; you tugged on one goats ears with both hands.  You are really strong, so I am glad he was cool with it.  We also stood near a donkey and as it started to hee haw other babies started crying (it was really loud), but you looked at him seriously for a moment and then a huge smile spread across your face and you started laughing.  It was amazing!!!

Your first Halloween was a lot of fun!  We dressed you up in your ladybug costume and brought you to our potluck at work.  You were a huge hit and everyone enjoyed loving on you.  You were the hit of the party as usual.  That night we had planned to go to the 12 South Halloween party with Auntie Kristin, but Evan Miller got really sick and you weren’t feeling well (you had an eruption cyst on your top front right tooth) either, so we ran to the store, bought candy, brought you home, put you to bed and we handed out candy to the neighborhood.  It was a lot of fun, but we wished we had been able to really celebrate with you.  It’s okay becase we have many years to come to do just that.  I was a princess for Halloween and Daddy went as a single dad… it was pretty funny! 

We took you to the park for the first time in November and you had a BLAST!  You LOVED the swing.  You did NOT like the slide, but proably because daddy thought you were a little too ready at 7 months to slide down on your own   Not really… he was right there, but I think it scared you.  You enjoyed being in the swing and it was incredibly adorable AND fun to see you smiling.  Your smile warms my heart like nothing else on this Earth. 

You also experience your first Presidential election.  I took you to vote early in the morning, but it wasn’t quite open, so I went after work and then picked you up.  You still got to hold the sticker. 

You are incredibly happy most all the time – smiling and having a ball.  You are so much fun to be around.  You have your grumpy times when you haven’t slept enough, aren’t able to get to what you want or are hungry.  

 Your daddy said something when you were just a few weeks old “She both breaks and heals my heart”  I know what he means… I feel it too, every single day. 

I love you…

Mommy

 

 

 

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An old Seinfeld reference for those that appreciate one of the greatest shows of all time.  A gem we walked away from with a lot of quotes and lessons learned… pretty good for a show about nothing.  Anyways… I am feeling a little schmoopy today and I just want to write it down.

I am going through a little personal turmoil right now… nothing bad just contemplating my career and my future in theatre.  You know the things external to my beautiful family.  There is a “letting go” that happens when you have a baby even if only for a short time – it is a painful and beautiful and very worthwhile process, but it is a process.  I have had to make some tough decisions and I am feeling good about those, but I just keep coming back to my greatest career and most important role… mommy.  Mollie and Ed are my happy… but Mollie is my joy.  This morning, like all mornings, I went into her nursery to get her out of bed and the minute I approach the crib this huge smile spreads across her face.  She squeals with delight as I lift her into my arms and cuddles her head into the crook of my neck, which feels an awful lot like an “I love you” to me.  I lay her on the changing table and we proceed with our daily games of “1,000 kisses” and “raspberry belly” and she laughs the sound that just changes me every time I hear it.  I get her dressed, I nurse her, I load her in the car and we are off.  Once I get her to daycare, though the sun has yet to peak out above the horizon and I feel so tired it is hard to stay awake, I climb in the backseat to pull her out of the car seat.  I am greeted with another 3-tooth smile and some raspberries and then her attempt at being helpful in getting out of her car seat… the result equaling a more difficult process.  I pull her into my arms give her more kisses and she places her hands on either side of my face and leans in for another smooch.  That is when my heartache begins.  The walk to the daycare, entering the code, signing her in, walking down the hall and then handing my precious girl to her teacher.  We are fortunate that she has great teachers and they absolutely adore her, but it is so hard to let go.  This morning especially… because I am feeling schmoopy.  I just want to babble on with her, give her kisses and tell her what a precious gift she is to me… I want to cuddle with her and take a nap with her, but instead I put her milk in the fridge, drop off the additional clothes, baby food and diapers and kiss her on the head.  I walk out the door and I just sink.  I miss her smile, her personality, even her fussiness since she is cutting her fourth tooth.

I just realized for the thousandth time… I just want to be with her.  I want to be with my family.  Ed is about to be home for the rest of the year, and though I am the official grateful wife of the year for the job he has, I still could not wish for that time to get here any faster.  I just want to be a family that sees each other in the evening and on the weekends.  Just for a minute and then we can go back to normal… for us.

For those that don’t know the reference to schmoopy… it is goopy, sickly sweet, emotionally lovey and all the other schmoopy feelings you can think of.

Schmoopy mommy signing off…

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Well my darling angel, this month has flown by!!!  You are growing faster than mommy is ready to handle.  You have two teeth and growing some more, you are sitting up and playing by yourself, you are starting to explore the wonderful world of sippy cups and dissolving puffs, and your personality is developing more and more, taking my breath away daily.  You made me nervous this morning when I watched you  try to pull yourself up in your crib.  That tells me it is time for mommy to have daddy lower the mattress.  I have watched you do so many amazing things this month.  You love to engage, smile and laugh.  You love it when mommy lifts you into the air and brings you back down with lots of kisses.  You love it when I make funny faces at you, it brings out that gorgeous laugh that is music to my ears.  You loathe laying down right now, you enjoy mostly sitting up, and if we don’t comply it really annoys you.  Once you sit up you immediately grab my hands, push down, lock your legs and stand up and then look up at me so proud of yourself with that two-tooth grin and I melt!  While you enjoy playing with mommy and daddy, you also love exploring things on your own.  I want to be holding and playing with you all the time, but I have gotten better about letting you have some “you” time.  I put you down on your soft rug (thanks Van & Carrie) and give you some blocks, rings and round rolling objects and you happily play for an hour just exploring it all.  Your favorite TV friend is still Eebee Baby.  He teaches you all kinds of things like how to roll a ball, what different textures exist, how to play peek-a-boo and so much more.  You get so excited every time he comes on the TV!  You also enjoy a new program that your daddy’s bus driver, Reggie, gave us.  It is called “Your Baby Can Read.”  This teaches you words and how to connect them with the actual action or thing.  It is amazing to watch you learn!  I see your little wheels turning all the time!

 

You aren’t sleeping at daycare really and they don’t seem too frustrated by it, but I think your teachers worry about you getting enough sleep.  You only sleep about an hour each day, and when mommy gets you up at 4am to get ready for school, I think I wear you out.  I am pretty sure I genetically passed you something called missaphobia – the fear of missing something.  Sure, that isn’t a scientifically proven phobia, but I am pretty sure it exists.  You like to be a part of everything and with people walking in and out and all the babies playing, it makes it hard for you to fall asleep.  I am sure you will when you get tired enough.  The funny thing is that when I get you inside the house at night you are ready to crash.  You are a trooper though and you remain happy and content most all the time.  That is another thing I absolutely adore about you… your personality… your smile… the way you make everyone around you happier.  People come into contact with you and your sweet smile and happy personality and they can’t help but smile back and reach out to you in hopes of transferring some of that joy.  We adults get stuck sometimes in the crazy stress of our daily lives and challenges, and it is hard to break out of it.  I have been in so many restaurants and stores, and so many times I have watched a person that looks miserable start to walk by, then there is the moment where they look up and see you and a smile spreads across their face because you have just smiled at them.  How can they not forget about what they were stewing over and immediately be filled with some joy.  That is how I feel all the time if you can imagine it.

You have started sucking your thumb to soothe yourself.  You are really good at it.  You have also started spitting your food at us when you eat. You have no idea you are doing that really.  You just enjoy doing raspberries in a much bigger and more creative way that turns mommy and daddy into works of art during dinnertime.  You love your veggies and fruit, but the minute that spoon hits your mouth the food is everywhere!  Miss Megan at school says that her black leggings were an interesting carrot orange at the end of the day last week.  I am forever finding bits of food in interesting places on my person.  I did, however, figure out a way to stop you from spitting on me.  I play a game with you… you LOVE games of all kinds.  We pretend the spoon is flying and your mouth is the landing pad.  We make a sound together like a dog panting and then you eat your food (without spitting) and then smile really big like we are having the time of our lives… which we are of course!

 

I am still struggling with producing enough milk for you… I am having to supplement with a little formula, which isn’t a big deal in the grand scheme of things.  Sometimes I set my expectations really high, because I want to do everything I can to make sure I am giving you the very best and that you are happy and healthy, and when I miss the mark I am hard on myself.  As usual, though, you are so adaptable and totally cool with whatever.  I still produce enough to go to school with you, but nothing extra.  Currently you are going through a pretty big growth spurt.  For about a week you woke up every 2 hours to nurse (you have done this with three other growth spurts), which makes it really hard for mommy to get up and go to work and function.  You must be tired too, I am sure of it.  The last couple of nights it has regulated, and since this is my third cycle I am pretty sure I can convince myself in the future that this too shall pass.

We moved you to your nursery on your 6-month birthday.  It was really hard for me.  Daddy was away, but I knew it was time.  You had been right by my bed for six months, since the night we brought you home from the hospital, and it always made me feel better to have you in arms reach, but it was time for you to have your own space and for mommy and daddy to have the same.  I didn’t sleep AT ALL the first night, but of course I didn’t have a monitor yet, so I was sure I would miss something.  I opened all the doors, put the cats in the back room, turned off all fans and noisemakers so I could hear if you made a peep (from across the house).  The next day your Aunt Pam got me a monitor for $7 at a consignment store and I slept a little better, but 10 days in and still I don’t like being separated from you.  It is healthy though, and I want to always do the thing that is right for you, not what makes me feel better.  It is just nice when those things coincide. 

Daddy has been out of town a LOT lately, and that has been really hard on mommy.  You and I do really well together and we are a great team, but I love having daddy home and together the three of us make the BEST team.  Not just because I love doing this parenting thing together, but because I love having him home with us.  There are some things you should know about your daddy that you will discover as you get older.  He loves you more than anything.  He LOVES spending time with you and misses you so much while he is away.  He asks me for pictures and videos all the time and gets on to me when I don’t send him one.    He loves to spend time playing with you, he works really hard on sign language with you, and he spends a lot of time helping you to learn to sit, stand crawl… all the things you are learning and getting better at doing.  You will always be able to count on your daddy.  He will be there for you no matter what… he will love you no matter what.  He talks all the time about how excited he is to watch you learn, how much he looks forward to taking you places to experience and learn things.  He looks forward to hearing your thoughts on the world when you get old enough to form them.  He can’t wait to talk with  you about things and learn from you.  I haven’t met many dads in my life like that.  Even though he looks forward to all of this, he doesn’t wish the time away.  He enjoys every single stage you go through.

We are both LOVING every second of getting to know you through every single new stage.  It seems like time is flying and each new day brings something new you have learned to do, or are trying to figure out.  You are curious and fun, serious and silly.  I love that when I picked you up from daycare yesterday, you were riding in the buggy down the hallway.  You looked like you were having so much fun, but the second you saw me coming down the hallway you almost lost your mind with excitement.  I love the way you put your whole body into showing that excitement and pleasure and I feel the exact same way about seeing you at the end of a long day.  You are such a joy and you bring laughter, love and fun into our lives.  Everything isn’t roses all the time, but your daddy and I discussed this very thing the other day.  The only part of being your parents that is hard or difficult is the lack of sleep.  Everything else is amazing!  We love it all, even changing your diapers, because it gives us a chance to play some games with you!

How can a parent ever express how much they love a child until they are a parent themselves.  I have never experienced love like this… the closest thing is with your daddy, and I do love him more than words can possibly express.  This is just a different love and it is intense.  It has the ability to make me feel happier than I have ever known and more afraid than I knew was possible!  I love you so deeply and unconditionally.  Daddy and I are even reading a book right now called unconditional parenting thanks to our friend Megan and that has really resonated with us.  There are a lot of things we didn’t realize about what unconditional parenting meant, but we are learning.  You have made our lives brighter and more beautiful.  Every day with you is a precious gift sweet girl, and one I don’t take lightly.  I shoot for giving you 1,000 kisses a day, sometimes I fall short, but not from lack of trying.  You welcome them all (except when you are hungry, sleepy or have a dirty diaper).  I don’t know what will happen the first time you give me a kiss or tell me you love me.  I don’t know if my chest will be able to hold my heart from how large it will swell with love.  You are my angel, my sweet love.  I am so honored to be your mommy and so excited to be on this journey with you and your daddy.  We are the lucky ones…

I love you,

Mommy

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