You are four years old. (Well, four years and one month now...mommy's been a little busy and hasn't gotten around to writing your letter until now!) I can't even believe it's been four years since you were kicking away in my belly, four years since we first saw that adorable little nose of yours, four years since you completely changed our lives forever. But it has...and boy, what a wonderful four years it's been.
You've grown up so much in the last year. You left toddler-hood and moved full on into little-boy. There's a little part of me that's sad. Not because you're growing up, but just because it seems to pass by too quickly to soak it all in. But mostly, I'm excited. You are so fun to be around every day. You are full of questions (sometimes so many I think my head might pop!) and are so curious about everything around you. You want to know exactly how everything works and if I don't know, you're just sure your Daddy will! You have one of the gentlest, sweetest spirits. I adore that about you...you love to give hugs (and will sometimes hug us 50 times in a row just because you can't get enough of it). You love to pet the dogs gently and play with them roughly.
And sometimes when I'm just enjoying your sweetness, you get a spark of wild mischief in you, which I adore almost as much as the sweetness. You love to jump and tickle and run (and run and run). You love to fight (evil...most of the time) and don your super hero gear to save the world. And I might love that the very most...that you truly think you can save the world. You truly think that you can be Batman and that putting on your cape will make the bad guys shake in fear. I never want the world to take that power from you, because you can save the world. Maybe not quite in as dramatic of a fashion as Batman, but you, my sweet child of God, are going to do great things for His kingdom. I can feel it and it gives me goosebumps.
You love to talk about God. You ask lots of questions - hard questions that sometimes I don't want to answer for fear that I'll be feeding you too much too soon. But it's hard to resist your precious little voice. You want to know everything about Jesus; how he died, why he died, why the 'bad guys' were so mean to someone we love so much. I think that last question is the hardest to answer. I wish you never had to know hate like that. We talk about what Heaven is going to be like and those conversations and your wondrous, non-wavering faith in a God that is bigger than anything I can imagine take my breath away. I pray that God will show your Daddy and I how to raise you in a home so that that type of faith doesn't fade. I pray that when you're 20, you'll still be dreaming about Heaven and playing soccer with Jesus someday.
A few nights ago, you wanted me to come snuggle with you in bed after Daddy had read you your stories. I came in and you snuggled up tight next to me under the covers and we talked and prayed and were still together. I felt your little brother kicking away in my stomach and felt your hot breath on my chest and I could have stayed in that moment forever. I tried to soak up every single ounce of that moment; the blue stars illuminated on your ceiling, the smell of Burt's Bees Baby Wash in your hair, the softness of your skin, the smallness of your hands, the coziness of that moment. Someday when you're big and grown and my hands are the ones that seem small inside of yours, I'm going to remember this moment vividly. And I'm going to thank God for giving me such a precious gift.
Happy birthday my sweet, sweet boy. I never dreamed four years ago my heart could swell to love you this much. I thought I knew what love was then...oh boy, was I wrong. That love then couldn't even hold a candle to the love I feel for you now.
Love,
Mommy
Showing posts with label letters to will. Show all posts
Showing posts with label letters to will. Show all posts
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Dear Will,
Tonight, for the very first time ever, you went to sleep in your very own big boy bed. You, of course, were absolutely thrilled with the idea of having a bed with no rails. You grabbed your 3 bajillion blankets (okay, there are only 4 of them), Traveler and Baby Traveler and jumped right in. You are so big. So almost three. And while I'm joyous that you're big and I love everything about you being almost three, I just wish I could make it all slow down for a few minutes.
I remember very clearly what a gut-wrenching decision it was to move you from your Pack 'n Play safe next to my bed into your crib...how I closed the door to your room that night after laying you down, waiting for you to cry out for your mommy. You didn't, and so I was the one crying outside your door...because my tiny little baby couldn't possibly be ready for a crib, right? So this time, the decision to move you to a toddler bed was done more on a whim. But even still, after Daddy and I tucked you in tonight and you snuggled down, cozy and warm in your tiny little bed I had a moment of sadness. Where did the days go when I nursed my tiny little baby to sleep? These almost-three years have gone by so quickly, though the days have seemed so long at times.
I am so proud of the little person you are becoming. You are kind and polite. You have a wonderful sense of humor. You are just mischievous enough. You are loud and you voice your opinions (even when they're not popular). You sing unashamed. You love to hear about "baby Jesus." You hug tight and don't pull away. I hope beyond belief that time doesn't change these sweet little things about you.
Good-night, my sweet, sweet baby. Mommy loves you very, very much.
I remember very clearly what a gut-wrenching decision it was to move you from your Pack 'n Play safe next to my bed into your crib...how I closed the door to your room that night after laying you down, waiting for you to cry out for your mommy. You didn't, and so I was the one crying outside your door...because my tiny little baby couldn't possibly be ready for a crib, right? So this time, the decision to move you to a toddler bed was done more on a whim. But even still, after Daddy and I tucked you in tonight and you snuggled down, cozy and warm in your tiny little bed I had a moment of sadness. Where did the days go when I nursed my tiny little baby to sleep? These almost-three years have gone by so quickly, though the days have seemed so long at times.
I am so proud of the little person you are becoming. You are kind and polite. You have a wonderful sense of humor. You are just mischievous enough. You are loud and you voice your opinions (even when they're not popular). You sing unashamed. You love to hear about "baby Jesus." You hug tight and don't pull away. I hope beyond belief that time doesn't change these sweet little things about you.
Good-night, my sweet, sweet baby. Mommy loves you very, very much.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Dear Will,
I had such a fun day with you today and I'm really, really lucky to be your Mommy. I can't believe you're nearly two and a half, yet at the same time I can't remember what life was like before you came into this world. I wanted to take a minute to write down some things that you're doing right now so I can remember these moments forever. Because you're feeling very big and time feels like it's going by very fast and I'm realizing that I'm not going to get to keep you little like this for long.
- You "roar" at everyone. It's the way you greet people and though it may be a tiny bit embarrassing at times, I'm totally and completely in love with it. You tuck your chin down to your chest and you roar as you bring your head up in a swooping motion. I need to get it on video!
- You can count to 15 (!!! where did you learn that?!) and you know how to spell your name. Instead of saying "seven" with an "s" at the beginning, you say, "evan." You're learning your ABCs and love to sing the song, even if you don't know all the words.
- You come into my office every night to give me a hug and a kiss before you get your paci. It's one of my favorite parts of the day. You're sweet smelling from your bath and your hair is so soft and I love the way you straddle my lap and snuggle your head down into my chest. I love it even more when you say, "Mommy, I wuv you sooooo much," completely unprompted.
-You're a cautious child. You think before you do anything and it always takes you a little bit to warm up to situations where there's lots of kids around or it's very noisy. Today at Safari Champ, you got halfway up the big-kid playscape and started crying. Once I came up there to play with you, you were perfectly fine...and by the end of our playtime there, you were going up and down and running and jumping all by yourself. I was so proud of you!
- I absolutely adore the way you say, "Oh-tay" in response to questions. It's so cute!
- When you don't want to do something, you say, "Hmm, maybe not."
- You are stubborn as anything. Not really sure where you got that from.... ;) You point your little finger and say, "Das not oh-tay!" It's insanely frustrating and incredible hilarious and I find myself fighting back laughter while trying to discipline you at the same time.
- You get on the scale in our bathroom every day and proudly declare, "Forty-nine pounds!"
- You say, "Yeah, I know," all.the.time.
- You are such a little backseat driver. You tell me when the light is red or green ("GO mommy! Das green light!"), you tell me to "race 'em!" and to go faster and faster. You love pointing out tractors, trucks and trailers, mail trucks, and school buses as we drive.
- When you say something, Daddy or I have to repeat it back to you. Example...in the car on the way to Gram and Papa's house, we always pass over the bridge with the train parked underneath. You say, "Look! Das choo choo train tracks!" and if Daddy or I doesn't immediately say, "that's right! A choo choo train on the tracks!" you'll keep repeating it louder and louder until we do ;)
- One thing people always remark on is how sweet you are. Your Sunday School teachers always tell me this and it makes me smile inside.
I know you're going to grow up and get big and I'm going to love each and every stage you're at, but this one is by far my favorite. We are so lucky to have you in our lives, sweet boy!
- You "roar" at everyone. It's the way you greet people and though it may be a tiny bit embarrassing at times, I'm totally and completely in love with it. You tuck your chin down to your chest and you roar as you bring your head up in a swooping motion. I need to get it on video!
- You can count to 15 (!!! where did you learn that?!) and you know how to spell your name. Instead of saying "seven" with an "s" at the beginning, you say, "evan." You're learning your ABCs and love to sing the song, even if you don't know all the words.
- You come into my office every night to give me a hug and a kiss before you get your paci. It's one of my favorite parts of the day. You're sweet smelling from your bath and your hair is so soft and I love the way you straddle my lap and snuggle your head down into my chest. I love it even more when you say, "Mommy, I wuv you sooooo much," completely unprompted.
-You're a cautious child. You think before you do anything and it always takes you a little bit to warm up to situations where there's lots of kids around or it's very noisy. Today at Safari Champ, you got halfway up the big-kid playscape and started crying. Once I came up there to play with you, you were perfectly fine...and by the end of our playtime there, you were going up and down and running and jumping all by yourself. I was so proud of you!
- I absolutely adore the way you say, "Oh-tay" in response to questions. It's so cute!
- When you don't want to do something, you say, "Hmm, maybe not."
- You are stubborn as anything. Not really sure where you got that from.... ;) You point your little finger and say, "Das not oh-tay!" It's insanely frustrating and incredible hilarious and I find myself fighting back laughter while trying to discipline you at the same time.
- You get on the scale in our bathroom every day and proudly declare, "Forty-nine pounds!"
- You say, "Yeah, I know," all.the.time.
- You are such a little backseat driver. You tell me when the light is red or green ("GO mommy! Das green light!"), you tell me to "race 'em!" and to go faster and faster. You love pointing out tractors, trucks and trailers, mail trucks, and school buses as we drive.
- When you say something, Daddy or I have to repeat it back to you. Example...in the car on the way to Gram and Papa's house, we always pass over the bridge with the train parked underneath. You say, "Look! Das choo choo train tracks!" and if Daddy or I doesn't immediately say, "that's right! A choo choo train on the tracks!" you'll keep repeating it louder and louder until we do ;)
- One thing people always remark on is how sweet you are. Your Sunday School teachers always tell me this and it makes me smile inside.
I know you're going to grow up and get big and I'm going to love each and every stage you're at, but this one is by far my favorite. We are so lucky to have you in our lives, sweet boy!
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Dear Will,
You are one YEAR old! We’ve spent 365 days with you and it’s been the
best time ever. Even though it seems like it’s gone by incredibly fast,
I wouldn’t trade this age for my tiny, cuddly newborn for anything. You
are so much fun, so exciting, and so unpredictable. And I love every
single second of it! You are up, down, in, out, over, and under just
about everything in the house. Some days your activeness wears me out,
but it fills me up with joy and love that I’ve never known before.
You took your first solo steps at your birthday party on Saturday (showing off like always, of course!) and you love to walk with anything you can push…dining room chairs, rolling chairs in the office, your walkers, your toy cars, books (you slide them and “walk” on your knees), the little red toy tubs, pillows, etc. If it can be moved on the floor, you more than likely will figure out a way to push it! You can say a couple words – “na-na” (banana, but it really means any food that you see that you want), “da da” (you know what this means, though you say it more than just to Daddy), and “ma ma” (same as da da – you say it a lot, but you know what it means). You also know what “shake your booty,” “where’s the doggie?,” “do you want to nurse?,” “milk,” and “let’s eat” mean. You know other words/phrases, but you respond to those 99% of the time. You can sign “all done,” “more,” and “milk.” You give kisses and hugs when you want to (sloppy, open-mouth kisses and your hugs are more like head-butts!) and you love to mimic Daddy and “roar” into his neck after he does it to you. You’re incredibly ticklish and you love to throw things. You’ve started playing with Riley by throwing her ball and she is on Cloud 9 since she has a playmate who never tires of throwing the ball for her :) You love to point at things and have started saying “dah” when you point…Daddy and I think you’re trying to say “that.” You wave bye-bye (though you wave at yourself instead of the person you’re think you’re waving at!). You clap whenever you see someone clapping (even if it’s on TV) or if we say “Yayyy!” You love to push buttons. Your favorite TV show is still Meteor and the Mighty Monster Trucks and you dance your little heart out any time you hear the theme song come on.
You weigh 22 pounds and are 28.5 inches long (25% and 50% percentiles). You still wear size 3 diapers and are into your 12-18 month clothes (though some of your 6-12 month clothes still fit). You wear size 4 shoes comfortably and are moving into size 5. Your favorite foods are any type of fruit (specifically bananas and berries), cheese, cinnamon toast, yogurt, fruit & grain bars (specifically the strawberry flavored Kashi TLC ones), spaghetti, grilled cheese, and macaroni and cheese. You’re not really a fan of veggies most days, though sometimes I can get you to eat a bit of broccoli with cheese before you throw it on the floor. You blow on all your food at lunch because you think it just might be hot! You started drinking whole milk around 11 months and you’re not a big fan. We’ve started mixing in chocolate milk or vanilla milk (with your pediatrician’s blessing) and you like it much better. Hopefully it won’t be too hard to wean you off of that in a few months! At 11 1/2 months you started sleeping through the night and now you usually sleep from 8pm to 5:30am without a peep. At 5:30am you come to bed with Mommy and Daddy and nurse off and on until it’s time for us to get up. I love those snuggle times with you :)
Your intelligence and the way that you understand things amazes me every day. I know every Mommy probably thinks her child is the smartest thing ever, but it’s true! You love to read stories – you point at the pictures, help me turn the pages, and have recently started chuckling if you find something particularly amusing. Your favorite stories are Ten Tiny Tadpoles, Where the Wild Things Are, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, and the entire Bear series (Bear Snores On, Bear Wants More, Bear’s New Friend, Bear Feels Sick, and Bear Stays up For Christmas). We read a story before your naps and before bed each day and I think it’s one of your favorite times of the day! I turn on your sound machine and you start pointing like crazy at the bookcase, just in case I forgot it was story time! You love bath time with Daddy…I don’t know exactly what you guys do in there for 20 minutes every night, but you laugh and laugh and laugh. It makes my heart smile to see how much you love your Daddy and how much you already want to be like him.
We are so proud of you, Will. So proud of everything you have accomplished in your first year of life and so proud of the little person you are becoming. I love you, Will. I love your character, your personality, your tooth-filled smiles, and your dimpled hands. You are so precious to me and I am so thankful that I am the lucky person that God chose to be your Mommy!
Love,
You took your first solo steps at your birthday party on Saturday (showing off like always, of course!) and you love to walk with anything you can push…dining room chairs, rolling chairs in the office, your walkers, your toy cars, books (you slide them and “walk” on your knees), the little red toy tubs, pillows, etc. If it can be moved on the floor, you more than likely will figure out a way to push it! You can say a couple words – “na-na” (banana, but it really means any food that you see that you want), “da da” (you know what this means, though you say it more than just to Daddy), and “ma ma” (same as da da – you say it a lot, but you know what it means). You also know what “shake your booty,” “where’s the doggie?,” “do you want to nurse?,” “milk,” and “let’s eat” mean. You know other words/phrases, but you respond to those 99% of the time. You can sign “all done,” “more,” and “milk.” You give kisses and hugs when you want to (sloppy, open-mouth kisses and your hugs are more like head-butts!) and you love to mimic Daddy and “roar” into his neck after he does it to you. You’re incredibly ticklish and you love to throw things. You’ve started playing with Riley by throwing her ball and she is on Cloud 9 since she has a playmate who never tires of throwing the ball for her :) You love to point at things and have started saying “dah” when you point…Daddy and I think you’re trying to say “that.” You wave bye-bye (though you wave at yourself instead of the person you’re think you’re waving at!). You clap whenever you see someone clapping (even if it’s on TV) or if we say “Yayyy!” You love to push buttons. Your favorite TV show is still Meteor and the Mighty Monster Trucks and you dance your little heart out any time you hear the theme song come on.
You weigh 22 pounds and are 28.5 inches long (25% and 50% percentiles). You still wear size 3 diapers and are into your 12-18 month clothes (though some of your 6-12 month clothes still fit). You wear size 4 shoes comfortably and are moving into size 5. Your favorite foods are any type of fruit (specifically bananas and berries), cheese, cinnamon toast, yogurt, fruit & grain bars (specifically the strawberry flavored Kashi TLC ones), spaghetti, grilled cheese, and macaroni and cheese. You’re not really a fan of veggies most days, though sometimes I can get you to eat a bit of broccoli with cheese before you throw it on the floor. You blow on all your food at lunch because you think it just might be hot! You started drinking whole milk around 11 months and you’re not a big fan. We’ve started mixing in chocolate milk or vanilla milk (with your pediatrician’s blessing) and you like it much better. Hopefully it won’t be too hard to wean you off of that in a few months! At 11 1/2 months you started sleeping through the night and now you usually sleep from 8pm to 5:30am without a peep. At 5:30am you come to bed with Mommy and Daddy and nurse off and on until it’s time for us to get up. I love those snuggle times with you :)
Your intelligence and the way that you understand things amazes me every day. I know every Mommy probably thinks her child is the smartest thing ever, but it’s true! You love to read stories – you point at the pictures, help me turn the pages, and have recently started chuckling if you find something particularly amusing. Your favorite stories are Ten Tiny Tadpoles, Where the Wild Things Are, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, and the entire Bear series (Bear Snores On, Bear Wants More, Bear’s New Friend, Bear Feels Sick, and Bear Stays up For Christmas). We read a story before your naps and before bed each day and I think it’s one of your favorite times of the day! I turn on your sound machine and you start pointing like crazy at the bookcase, just in case I forgot it was story time! You love bath time with Daddy…I don’t know exactly what you guys do in there for 20 minutes every night, but you laugh and laugh and laugh. It makes my heart smile to see how much you love your Daddy and how much you already want to be like him.
We are so proud of you, Will. So proud of everything you have accomplished in your first year of life and so proud of the little person you are becoming. I love you, Will. I love your character, your personality, your tooth-filled smiles, and your dimpled hands. You are so precious to me and I am so thankful that I am the lucky person that God chose to be your Mommy!
Love,
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Dear Will,
Baby boy, you have such a sweet, sweet soul. You woke up shortly
after I put you down tonight and I picked you up and sat down in the
rocking chair, hoping that you’d go back to sleep quickly so I could watch TV
with your Daddy and relax for a little while. I was being impatient, I
was frustrated with you for not sleeping, not enjoying the moment. You
reached your tiny baby hand up, placed it on my cheek, and rubbed my
face with your thumb. I don’t know what provoked it, but it was such a
sweet gesture…almost an apology of sorts for waking up so often and
definitely a reminder of your love for me.
I’m sorry for not being patient enough with you at times, but thank you, sweet boy, for reminding me of one of the most wonderful things on this Earth…your love.
I’m sorry for not being patient enough with you at times, but thank you, sweet boy, for reminding me of one of the most wonderful things on this Earth…your love.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Dear Will,
Nine whole months (and a few days) have gone by with you on the outside. You’ve spent longer on the outside now
than on the inside. You’ve been a part of our lives for over a year and
a half. It’s truly amazing how much life can change in 18 short
months…how your Daddy and I can go from a young married couple who had
no clue about raising a baby to veteran parents who can change diapers,
soothe cries, and tickle like pros. It’s amazing how much you’ve changed
in 18 months, sweet boy. How you went from a cluster of cells to YOU. I
am blown away by our Creator – he is magnificent and awe-inspiring.
That He chose you, formed you, and allowed us to raise you is just
amazing to me. I’m so lucky to be your Mom, Will. So, so, so lucky!
You are quite the little boy. You’re up and down and all around the house these days. You crawl anywhere and everywhere, stopping to examine things that I’d never take the time to notice. You give special attention to the leaf that has blown in the front door, the crumb on the edge of your high chair tray, the strand of hair that’s escaped from my ponytail, and the pine needle that’s fallen off our Christmas tree. You love to inspect the (covered and safe!) outlets and my running shoes that have failed to make their way to my closet. You’re really starting to learn how to interact with your environment, whether it’s a loud grunt/yell to get my attention (a new favorite of yours) or “playing” with Riley and taking her ball out of her mouth. Gran and CP got you a walker for Christmas and you love it. You will push it everywhere and you will not let go of the handle until you’re good and ready! Last night, Daddy and I watched you learn how to push it to the toys you wanted to play with. You’d push it over to your toy, sit down and play for awhile, then stand back up and push it to the next toy. Watching you make these little discoveries is fascinating!
You’re a total ham and one of the happiest babies I’ve met. And I’m not just saying that because I’m your Mommy! It doesn’t take much to get a smile out of you. Some of your favorite things are Riley jumping in the air for her ball, me or Daddy imitating your grunts/squeals/yells, smushing your face up against the shower door while I’m in the shower, getting your fingers “bitten” by me or Daddy, and walking around naked before your bath. Your favorite toys are your lion walker, your Fisher Price musical table, your Tonka toy trucks, and your Melissa and Dough puzzles (all of which were Christmas presents). Your first Christmas was so much fun! We didn’t do anything incredibly special – we stayed home in the morning and opened presents as a new family of 3 and then went to see Gran, CP, and Uncle Matt. But it was so nice to spend time with you, to watch you discover bows and wrapping paper and Christmas trees and gifts. You weren’t all that into the actual opening of the presents – you enjoyed playing with the toys wrapped in the paper! Once we got you started playing with a toy it was pretty hard to tear you away to open another. Always so focused :)
You weigh 19 pounds 10 ounces (25th percentile) and are 28 1/2 inches tall (50th percentile). You’re wearing size 3 diapers, 6-12 month clothing, and 12-18 month footed sleepers. You’re still not anywhere close to sleeping through the night – you usually wake around 11pm when Daddy rocks you back to sleep and anywhere from 1am – 5am when you come into bed with us. Many, many, many people have told me that you should be sleeping through the night and that we should just let you cry…but that’s not for us. I don’t mind the snuggle time in bed all that much either :) You’re taking 2 solid naps a day with one catnap in the late afternoon or early evening. As pathetic as your nighttime sleeping is, you actually nap pretty well! You love your “doggie” from Gran. I didn’t realize how attached to it you were until you cried and cried one nap time when I tried to rock you to sleep without it (it was in the washing machine). You’re still a paci fanatic, though you’ve learned how to take it out if you just want to cry! You’re now completely off of purees and only eating table food. Some of your favorites are yogurt, kiwi, bananas, sweet potato bites, peas, scrambled eggs with cheese, fish, blueberries, raspberries, nectarines, and mangoes. You do not like refried beans and if I try to give them to you spread on a tortilla, you will promptly throw them off your tray to the dogs. I’m not sure where you learned that nasty little trick, but Mommy does NOT like it! You’re very big on feeding yourself and aren’t too keen to have Mommy or Daddy feed you anymore. We still feed you messy things, like yogurt, or foods that are hard to pick up, like bananas and kiwi, but for the most part, you feed yourself. You adore your bathtime and you frequently will lounge on the side of your duck tub with your feet propped on the sides. You’ve also become quite the Momma’s boy, which I don’t mind a bit. I figure that when you’re 17, you’re not going to want to cuddle with your Mommy anymore, so there’s no harm in cuddling you and hugging you as much as I want.
I really wish there was a way for me to capture all those little every day things with you, sweet baby boy. You make my heart swell with love and there is so much joy in our house. It is so wonderful to watch you learn…to watch you make connections, to pick up on things we do (like waving), or to learn things all on your own. You started dancing a few weeks ago and it is absolutely adorable. You sway your head back and forth (a little bit reminiscent of A Night at the Roxbury) and grin. In the past few days, you’ve even added a little bit of a hip wiggle to your dance! It’s the little things like that which make living with you such a blessing.
I am so, so thankful to be your Mommy and I’m so proud of you!
Love,
Mommy
You are quite the little boy. You’re up and down and all around the house these days. You crawl anywhere and everywhere, stopping to examine things that I’d never take the time to notice. You give special attention to the leaf that has blown in the front door, the crumb on the edge of your high chair tray, the strand of hair that’s escaped from my ponytail, and the pine needle that’s fallen off our Christmas tree. You love to inspect the (covered and safe!) outlets and my running shoes that have failed to make their way to my closet. You’re really starting to learn how to interact with your environment, whether it’s a loud grunt/yell to get my attention (a new favorite of yours) or “playing” with Riley and taking her ball out of her mouth. Gran and CP got you a walker for Christmas and you love it. You will push it everywhere and you will not let go of the handle until you’re good and ready! Last night, Daddy and I watched you learn how to push it to the toys you wanted to play with. You’d push it over to your toy, sit down and play for awhile, then stand back up and push it to the next toy. Watching you make these little discoveries is fascinating!
You’re a total ham and one of the happiest babies I’ve met. And I’m not just saying that because I’m your Mommy! It doesn’t take much to get a smile out of you. Some of your favorite things are Riley jumping in the air for her ball, me or Daddy imitating your grunts/squeals/yells, smushing your face up against the shower door while I’m in the shower, getting your fingers “bitten” by me or Daddy, and walking around naked before your bath. Your favorite toys are your lion walker, your Fisher Price musical table, your Tonka toy trucks, and your Melissa and Dough puzzles (all of which were Christmas presents). Your first Christmas was so much fun! We didn’t do anything incredibly special – we stayed home in the morning and opened presents as a new family of 3 and then went to see Gran, CP, and Uncle Matt. But it was so nice to spend time with you, to watch you discover bows and wrapping paper and Christmas trees and gifts. You weren’t all that into the actual opening of the presents – you enjoyed playing with the toys wrapped in the paper! Once we got you started playing with a toy it was pretty hard to tear you away to open another. Always so focused :)
You weigh 19 pounds 10 ounces (25th percentile) and are 28 1/2 inches tall (50th percentile). You’re wearing size 3 diapers, 6-12 month clothing, and 12-18 month footed sleepers. You’re still not anywhere close to sleeping through the night – you usually wake around 11pm when Daddy rocks you back to sleep and anywhere from 1am – 5am when you come into bed with us. Many, many, many people have told me that you should be sleeping through the night and that we should just let you cry…but that’s not for us. I don’t mind the snuggle time in bed all that much either :) You’re taking 2 solid naps a day with one catnap in the late afternoon or early evening. As pathetic as your nighttime sleeping is, you actually nap pretty well! You love your “doggie” from Gran. I didn’t realize how attached to it you were until you cried and cried one nap time when I tried to rock you to sleep without it (it was in the washing machine). You’re still a paci fanatic, though you’ve learned how to take it out if you just want to cry! You’re now completely off of purees and only eating table food. Some of your favorites are yogurt, kiwi, bananas, sweet potato bites, peas, scrambled eggs with cheese, fish, blueberries, raspberries, nectarines, and mangoes. You do not like refried beans and if I try to give them to you spread on a tortilla, you will promptly throw them off your tray to the dogs. I’m not sure where you learned that nasty little trick, but Mommy does NOT like it! You’re very big on feeding yourself and aren’t too keen to have Mommy or Daddy feed you anymore. We still feed you messy things, like yogurt, or foods that are hard to pick up, like bananas and kiwi, but for the most part, you feed yourself. You adore your bathtime and you frequently will lounge on the side of your duck tub with your feet propped on the sides. You’ve also become quite the Momma’s boy, which I don’t mind a bit. I figure that when you’re 17, you’re not going to want to cuddle with your Mommy anymore, so there’s no harm in cuddling you and hugging you as much as I want.
I really wish there was a way for me to capture all those little every day things with you, sweet baby boy. You make my heart swell with love and there is so much joy in our house. It is so wonderful to watch you learn…to watch you make connections, to pick up on things we do (like waving), or to learn things all on your own. You started dancing a few weeks ago and it is absolutely adorable. You sway your head back and forth (a little bit reminiscent of A Night at the Roxbury) and grin. In the past few days, you’ve even added a little bit of a hip wiggle to your dance! It’s the little things like that which make living with you such a blessing.
I am so, so thankful to be your Mommy and I’m so proud of you!
Love,
Mommy
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Dear Will,
You’re eight months old, sweet baby boy. I can’t believe it!
You’re a completely different little person than you were eight months
ago, that’s for sure. You’ve got so much personality and you can do so
many things independently. You amaze me every day with the connections
you make and the situations you get yourself into! You’re quite the dare
devil, I must say…your Daddy has nicknamed you Kamikaze because you’ll
crawl right off the edge of the bed or the couch if we’re not paying close
enough attention…silly boy! I sure do hope that your dare devilish
stunts slow down in the coming years…or else I may not make it to 50 :)
You celebrated your first Thanksgiving last week, though you slept through the actual dinner portion of it. You were quite impressed with your first taste of mashed potatoes. Your Uncle Matt was proud, though I think you’re going to have to eat a LOT more ‘taters to beat his record! All in all it was such a fun day…I’m so thankful for you in my life, sweet boy. Words can’t even begin to express how much I love you. I thank God each day for blessing us and letting us be your parents…you’re so special to us!
You are all over the place now. You can crawl (and you do so fast!), you can and do pull up on anything that’s in sight. You just started cruising on the couch and can walk the length of it. You can stand for a very short time without support, but letting go still scares you a tiny bit! You got your first tooth on your eight month birthday, the bottom front tooth on your left! It’s still not completely through the surface yet, but I can feel the sharp little edges of it in there…no more chewing on Mommy’s hands as a substitute for a teething ring. Sorry! You’re wearing size 3 diapers and are in 6-9 month clothes and are about to outgrow 12 month sleepers…you’re taking after your daddy in the length department! When we went in to get your 7-month shots you weighed in at 19 pounds 10 ounces…you’re getting so big!
You are into everything. Our shoes, the dog toys, the dog’s water bowl, the electrical outlets, the laptop cord, the tiny speck of grass that got tracked into the house…yep, just about everything! You babble loudly all.day.long. Your chosen words include (but are not limited to) da-da, ma-ma, de-de, na-na, ga-ga, no-no, and puh-puh. You just learned how to blow from watching me blow on my oatmeal in the morning when we eat breakfast. It’s pretty adorable – you purse your lips together and blow down. Your favorite song is the ABCs and it gets sung a lot. If we’re in the car and you start fussing all I have to do is start the ABC song and you’re silent by the time we get to D. No other song will do – I’ve tried Jesus Loves Me, The Ants Go Marching, and a few others…but you’re stuck on the ABCs. You love listening to music, especially at church where it’s going on right in front of you. You’re absolutely fascinated by the different sounds. Your sleep habits are getting marginally better, though I’m not entirely convinced that you’ll ever learn how to sleep through the night ;) Ever since you started crawling, though, you’ve been napping like a champ! It makes your Mommy’s day much nicer since I’m actually able to get a load of laundry and some dishes done while you sleep…thanks little man!
I’m pretty sure I could fill a book with all the things you do now. And that book would constantly be out of date because each and every day you do something new. But I’ll stop here…The past eight months have been the most gratifying, special, wonderful days of my life. Even the sleepless nights with you trump the full nights of sleep I used to get before you arrived. Thank you for being the best gift I’ve ever received. I love you!!
Love,
Mommy
You celebrated your first Thanksgiving last week, though you slept through the actual dinner portion of it. You were quite impressed with your first taste of mashed potatoes. Your Uncle Matt was proud, though I think you’re going to have to eat a LOT more ‘taters to beat his record! All in all it was such a fun day…I’m so thankful for you in my life, sweet boy. Words can’t even begin to express how much I love you. I thank God each day for blessing us and letting us be your parents…you’re so special to us!
You are all over the place now. You can crawl (and you do so fast!), you can and do pull up on anything that’s in sight. You just started cruising on the couch and can walk the length of it. You can stand for a very short time without support, but letting go still scares you a tiny bit! You got your first tooth on your eight month birthday, the bottom front tooth on your left! It’s still not completely through the surface yet, but I can feel the sharp little edges of it in there…no more chewing on Mommy’s hands as a substitute for a teething ring. Sorry! You’re wearing size 3 diapers and are in 6-9 month clothes and are about to outgrow 12 month sleepers…you’re taking after your daddy in the length department! When we went in to get your 7-month shots you weighed in at 19 pounds 10 ounces…you’re getting so big!
You are into everything. Our shoes, the dog toys, the dog’s water bowl, the electrical outlets, the laptop cord, the tiny speck of grass that got tracked into the house…yep, just about everything! You babble loudly all.day.long. Your chosen words include (but are not limited to) da-da, ma-ma, de-de, na-na, ga-ga, no-no, and puh-puh. You just learned how to blow from watching me blow on my oatmeal in the morning when we eat breakfast. It’s pretty adorable – you purse your lips together and blow down. Your favorite song is the ABCs and it gets sung a lot. If we’re in the car and you start fussing all I have to do is start the ABC song and you’re silent by the time we get to D. No other song will do – I’ve tried Jesus Loves Me, The Ants Go Marching, and a few others…but you’re stuck on the ABCs. You love listening to music, especially at church where it’s going on right in front of you. You’re absolutely fascinated by the different sounds. Your sleep habits are getting marginally better, though I’m not entirely convinced that you’ll ever learn how to sleep through the night ;) Ever since you started crawling, though, you’ve been napping like a champ! It makes your Mommy’s day much nicer since I’m actually able to get a load of laundry and some dishes done while you sleep…thanks little man!
I’m pretty sure I could fill a book with all the things you do now. And that book would constantly be out of date because each and every day you do something new. But I’ll stop here…The past eight months have been the most gratifying, special, wonderful days of my life. Even the sleepless nights with you trump the full nights of sleep I used to get before you arrived. Thank you for being the best gift I’ve ever received. I love you!!
Love,
Mommy
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Dear Will,
Today you are seven months old. Seven months. Seven. I’m a tiny
bit sad tonight as I write this…you’re tucked in your crib, dreaming
sweet dreams. You’re so big, baby. You’re growing up so fast. You need
me less and less each day…you’re becoming more independent and I know
that in the blink of an eye you’ll be grown up and you really won’t need
your Mommy anymore…So tonight, I’m just a little bit sad that you’re
growing up.
I love you more than words can express. When you army crawl across the bathroom while I’m in the shower and knock the dog’s water bowl over, I love you. When you throw a little temper tantrum when you don’t get your way, I love you. When you’re up all night, I love you. You stole my heart the moment you came into this world and things haven’t been the same since. I cherish the days with you, sweetheart. I don’t think I’ve told you how lucky I feel that I am able to stay at home with you during these precious days. I get to hear you giggle at the dogs chasing after their toys, I get to watch you discover the world around you, I get to shower you in kisses and love you with abandon every second of the day. I’m so thankful for your Daddy, Will. He knows how much this time with you means to me, and he would give up anything to make me happy, even if that means we have to live with a little less since I’m not teaching. He has so much to teach you…things about life, and love, and being a man of God. You are lucky to have him as a Daddy; you’re so lucky you get to learn from him. He may not be a man of many words, but watch his actions and you’ll go far.
As I watch you grow, one thing I admire about you is how determined you are. You’ve been this way since day one, but it’s really starting to shine through as you grow. When you were not even a day old, you started trying to hold your head up on your own. I have no idea why you were so determined to do it, but you were and you did. No obstacles can stop you from doing what you want…you passionately pursue the things your heart desires, be it toys across the room or my laptop that you want to bang on. I hope you never lose this trait, Will. I hope you chase hard after your dreams and never let someone tell you that your dreams are unattainable. Because they’re not baby boy, they’re not. And I pray I can teach you to have a heart of the Lord. Because if you have a heart of the Lord, then your dreams are His dreams. And with your determination and His dreams, you can do so much for His Kingdom!
Seven months seems so long in theory, but so short in actuality. I’ve gotten to soak up seven months of memories with you. Memories like you laughing hysterically at the dogs in your bath tonight. You giving me hugs when you get up from your naps. You banging your tiny little palms against the wood floor, the table, your highchair tray, my arms. You taking your paci out of your mouth just so you can cry. You laying your sweet head against my chest as I rock you to sleep. You experiencing the feel of paint squishing through your fingers. You sitting in the grass for the first time and relishing in the scratchy, coolness of it. I could go on and on about the memories I have of you!
These days you’re into everything! You’re fast…I never realized how fast a non-crawling little person could move. You catch me off guard all the time and melt my heart with your toothless little smile. You army crawl everywhere and are practicing getting up on your hands and knees. You pull up on everything (including your crib and the bathtub). You love your pacifier. You’re wearing size 3 diapers and wearing 6-9 month clothing. Your pants are way too big around the waist and just barely long enough – I foresee that being an issue all your life! You’ve started giving hugs when I get you out of your crib (and they totally make my heart melt). You’ve started on some finger foods and are loving them!
I could write about you forever, but I’ll stop here for tonight. I love you, Will. I love you more than you’ll ever know.
Love,
Mommy
I love you more than words can express. When you army crawl across the bathroom while I’m in the shower and knock the dog’s water bowl over, I love you. When you throw a little temper tantrum when you don’t get your way, I love you. When you’re up all night, I love you. You stole my heart the moment you came into this world and things haven’t been the same since. I cherish the days with you, sweetheart. I don’t think I’ve told you how lucky I feel that I am able to stay at home with you during these precious days. I get to hear you giggle at the dogs chasing after their toys, I get to watch you discover the world around you, I get to shower you in kisses and love you with abandon every second of the day. I’m so thankful for your Daddy, Will. He knows how much this time with you means to me, and he would give up anything to make me happy, even if that means we have to live with a little less since I’m not teaching. He has so much to teach you…things about life, and love, and being a man of God. You are lucky to have him as a Daddy; you’re so lucky you get to learn from him. He may not be a man of many words, but watch his actions and you’ll go far.
As I watch you grow, one thing I admire about you is how determined you are. You’ve been this way since day one, but it’s really starting to shine through as you grow. When you were not even a day old, you started trying to hold your head up on your own. I have no idea why you were so determined to do it, but you were and you did. No obstacles can stop you from doing what you want…you passionately pursue the things your heart desires, be it toys across the room or my laptop that you want to bang on. I hope you never lose this trait, Will. I hope you chase hard after your dreams and never let someone tell you that your dreams are unattainable. Because they’re not baby boy, they’re not. And I pray I can teach you to have a heart of the Lord. Because if you have a heart of the Lord, then your dreams are His dreams. And with your determination and His dreams, you can do so much for His Kingdom!
Seven months seems so long in theory, but so short in actuality. I’ve gotten to soak up seven months of memories with you. Memories like you laughing hysterically at the dogs in your bath tonight. You giving me hugs when you get up from your naps. You banging your tiny little palms against the wood floor, the table, your highchair tray, my arms. You taking your paci out of your mouth just so you can cry. You laying your sweet head against my chest as I rock you to sleep. You experiencing the feel of paint squishing through your fingers. You sitting in the grass for the first time and relishing in the scratchy, coolness of it. I could go on and on about the memories I have of you!
These days you’re into everything! You’re fast…I never realized how fast a non-crawling little person could move. You catch me off guard all the time and melt my heart with your toothless little smile. You army crawl everywhere and are practicing getting up on your hands and knees. You pull up on everything (including your crib and the bathtub). You love your pacifier. You’re wearing size 3 diapers and wearing 6-9 month clothing. Your pants are way too big around the waist and just barely long enough – I foresee that being an issue all your life! You’ve started giving hugs when I get you out of your crib (and they totally make my heart melt). You’ve started on some finger foods and are loving them!
I could write about you forever, but I’ll stop here for tonight. I love you, Will. I love you more than you’ll ever know.
Love,
Mommy
Monday, September 28, 2009
Dear Will,
I can’t even believe that I’ve spent half a year with you. In the
weird way that time works, it seems like longer and shorter all in the
same second. You’ve gone from this tiny, helpless bundle into a
babbling, rolling, sitting-up little baby. You have likes and dislikes,
you have the sweetest personality. You’re so precious to me!
In half a year, we’ve gone from:
this to this.
In half a year, we’ve gone from:
this to this.
Oh, where does the time go? I’m so lucky to
be your Mommy, sweet boy. I hope you know just how much I enjoy it. I
love your that you’ve started giving me wet, open mouth kisses. I
absolutely adore them, even the slimed face I get afterward! I love your
fake coughs, the way you say “Ahhooo!” if you can’t get a sneeze out,
and how completely excited you get about tearing up napkins. You’re so
passionate about all the little things our day holds and you put your
entire heart into doing activities. You splash your heart out during
bathtime until your eyelashes are dripping with water and then you look
up at me and grin. You reach with all your might to grab things off the
table during dinner and you are a very enthusiastic eater. You know our
daily routine well, but if we stray from it, it’s no big deal. You’re so
easy going and happy-go-lucky and I love that about you. I hope that
never changes.
You’re still wearing 3-6 month clothes, but
I’m mixing in more and more of your 6-9 month clothes every day. You
graduated to size 2-3 diapers and are somewhere around 18 pounds and
28-29 inches long. So far you’ve had rice cereal (okay), oatmeal (good),
bananas (great), avocado (okay), pears (fantastic), sweet potatoes
(good), butternut squash (okay), peaches (fantastic), plums (fantastic),
apples (great), green beans (okay), nectarines (fantastic), and puffs
(okay). If I’m having an apple for a snack, you love to gum a slice of
apple to death while I eat mine. You make “mmm mmm mmm” noises while
you’re chomping and it’s just so dang cute! You sleep in your crib for a
5-8 hour stretch and then come snuggle in bed between Mommy and Daddy.
I’m sure you’d go back
to sleep in your crib if I rocked you, but I love having you snuggle up
close to me for part of the night. You’re an expert at sitting up and
rarely topple over anymore, you roll both directions (though you roll
back to belly much easier than belly to back) and you’re fascinated with
patterns on fabric. You enjoy the Exersaucer and Jumperoo, but you’re
also content to sit on my lap while I eat breakfast and watch Ellen.
It’s still hard to get laughs and giggles out of you, but man, when I
do, I could listen all day! You have the cutest chuckle and I love your
gummy grin!
The toes on your left foot curl over each
other (as evidenced by the above photo), and it makes me laugh! You love
your doggie (security blanket) and your brown/blue striped blankets.
You’re addicted to your pacifier and have perfected the art of putting
it into your mouth backward. You love hugs, you love it when your Daddy
gives you kisses on your neck, you love to pet the dogs, you love taking
jogs with Mommy, you love bathtime, and you love reading your Bible at
night…you seriously just seem to love life. It is such a joy for your
Daddy and I to see you delight in the little things that we take for
granted every day. You are always in the moment and I envy you for that.
I know that you’re like that because you are a baby, but it’s something
that I hope you never lose. All too often we spend too much time
looking foward to the future or remembering the past and we forget to
soak up every ounce of goodness in the life we’re living NOW.
This time next year, you’ll be a running,
walking, jumping, talking 18-month-old and I know I’m going to look back
at this letter and a small piece of my heart is going to ache that my
baby is growing up. But each day that you grow, my heart grows with love
for you. Six months ago I didn’t even have a clue what it meant to be
your Mommy. I remember staring down at you while you slept on my chest,
your little breaths warm on my neck, and being overcome with this
overwhelming love for you. It was a type of love that I never even knew
existed in human form…I’d known you for barely a day and I was knocked
over by these powerful emotions. All I wanted was more time with you so I
could stare at you, watch you breathe, and pour my love over you. Not
too much has changed six months later. I still stare at you and delight
in the deliciousness of you. I still watch you breathe (and always check
to make sure you’re still breathing before I go to bed). I still want
to drench you in my love until you’re dripping with it; I hope you never
doubt just how much I love you. And I still just want more time with
you, even if that time comes at 3:00 in the morning. I am so, so proud
of you Will. Your life is so meaningful. Your life has brought your
Daddy and I closer. Your life has brought my family and I closer. Your
life is going to change the world, I have no doubt about that.
I found this poem and it kind of sums
everything up. I am thankful for these past six months and so excited
about the future with you. I love you so much, Will.
MY DEAR CHILD.
You are the poem
I dreamed of writing
the masterpiece
I longed to paint.
You are the shining star
I reached for In my
ever hopeful quest
for life fulfilled..
You are my child.
Now with all things
I am blessed.
You are the poem
I dreamed of writing
the masterpiece
I longed to paint.
You are the shining star
I reached for In my
ever hopeful quest
for life fulfilled..
You are my child.
Now with all things
I am blessed.
Love,
Mommy
Mommy
Friday, September 11, 2009
Dear Will,
Eight years ago today, when you weren’t even a thought in my mind, something terrible happened in our world. We, as Americans, were attacked by terrorists. Life as I knew it then was to be changed forever. I remember exactly where I was that day, exactly what I was wearing, and exactly what I was doing. I was in 10th grade and absolutely nothing got finished in school for the rest of the day. All of my teachers had the TV turned onto the news and we watched over and over again as planes flew into the World Trade Center. I remember the first time I saw it on the news, it didn’t even cross my mind that someone would’ve done this to America purposely…I was sad that such a tragic accident had occurred. When I found out it wasn’t actually an accident and that terrorists from another country wanted to hurt our great nation, I was sad and scared.
I wish I could raise you in a world where people valued life. But sadly, even in America, that doesn’t happen. People brush off life and don’t look at it as a gift. They play God; they take lives away. And it breaks my heart. I want you to know what a precious, special thing life is, baby boy. I want you to value it, to cherish it, and to never, ever take one breath for granted. Right now, soldiers are a world away fighting for your right to live your life here in America. Fighting for your right to be free. Some day in the not too distant future, your Uncle might be over there fighting for you too. Please don’t forget this, Will. Don’t forget that men and women have given up their lives so you can have yours. When you think about that, please stop and take a moment to reflect. Take a moment to realize that even though we have the right to believe what we want in America, there are other countries where people do not.
I believe that God blessed your Daddy and I with your little life for a specific purpose. I believe that He has big plans for your little life. I believe that He wants to use you to change the world. Change it for the better; change it so others can realize the gift of life too. My prayer for you today is that you would listen to the gentle call of His voice and that you would go where He calls you. And maybe, just maybe, you can make such a difference in our world that eighty years from now there are no more wars and people don’t have to give their lives so others have a chance at freedom.
I love you Will and I am so thankful for the gift of you.
Love,
Mommy
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Dear Will,
Happy five month birthday! Sometimes I find it hard to believe that you’re five whole months old. Next month, we’ll have known you for half of a year. And to me, that just seems like such a long time. The past five months have been a whirlwind of love, smiles, and a little less sleep than Daddy and I would like. But I wouldn’t change one single second of these past five months because they’ve been some of the best months of my life. I cherish every day with you, every second I get to spend giggling with you and marveling over all the cute baby things that you do. You make up such a huge part of my life and I no longer can even remember what my life was like before you came into the picture. You’ve changed our family and you bring your Daddy and I joy daily. When I think back on these past five months, bliss is the only word that can possibly describe it. Because all the bad times, all the difficult moments, and frustrations just seem to slip away when I see your gummy, crooked smile or hear your precious little giggle. Nothing else in the world matters anymore when you’re around. I’ve been drunk with happiness and love since you came into this world and I wouldn’t have it any other way!
I got to spend my 24th birthday with you and it was so nice to relax and have a low-key day at home. Daddy bought me a jogging stroller and we took our first run in it last week. I’m so excited to teach you how to lead an active life. When you look back on your life, I want exercise and activity to be something that is like breathing to you – automatic and something you can’t do without. So much of our world has become lazy and I never want you to have to fight that battle. I never want you to loathe activity…I want you to enjoy it and I want it to be something that is vital to you. You seemed to enjoy your first run and I really wish I would’ve snapped a quick picture. You looked so adorable in your A&M onesie (thanks Uncle Matt!), your blue Adidas shorts, and your sunglasses. I hooked a few toys around your harness in case you got bored, but you really didn’t play with them much. You looked all over as we ran through the neighborhood and then fell asleep on the way back. I’m anxious to log lots of miles and hours running with you in tow.
If I had to guess, I’d say you’re about 17 1/2 pounds right now and probably close to 28 inches long. You’re getting so big and growing so fast! But I love this age and stage you’re at. You’ve got so much personality and so much life, Will. You are such a happy baby and you smile at anything and everything. You totally love life and I love watching you learn and experience the joys of it. Your newest thing is to reach your hands out and place them on either side of my face when I’m talking to you. You grin and giggle (and sometimes pinch). If I had to pick one thing that I enjoy the most about you right now, I’d have to say that’s it. I’m not sure why that makes me so happy – maybe because it’s the first time you’ve been able to show your affection for me in an outward manner. I’m not sure…but boy, do I love it!
You’re still wearing your 3-6 month clothes, though some are getting a bit snug. You’re about to outgrow size 2 diapers and you go to sleep in your crib every night. You love it when Daddy gets home from work every day and you give him the biggest grins ever. It’s so fun to see you developing your relationship with him. It makes me think towards the future when you’ll wrestle with him, play catch with him, and learn what a Godly man is like from him. You’re lucky to have such a wonderful Daddy in your life. He loves to make you laugh and will do just about anything to hear that tiny giggle escape your lips. The newest thing you find funny is standing on his face. He leans back on the couch, holds you up over his head and lets you stomp your pudgy feet around on his face. You laugh and laugh and laugh! You also have developed a love for the dogs, especially Riley (because she’ll let you pet her). In the morning when we’re getting ready for the day, you sit in your bouncer and watch Riley and Sammy. You think it’s absolutely hilarious when Riley growls and shakes her toys. Your favorite food is probably still pears, although you are also a huge fan of apples.
Thank you so much for making me a Mommy, Will. It’s the most rewarding, exhausting, wonderful, exciting, exhilarating, and fulfilling job I have ever had. I just can’t seem to get enough of you. I love you so much and I am so, so proud of everything that you’ve accomplished in your five months on this Earth.
Love,
Mommy
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Dear Will,
Today someone other than family watched you for the first time.
We left you in the nursery during church for the first time…no more
snuggles in the Mei Tai during church, because quite frankly, you’re one
loud little boy! You love to express your joy with life loudly. While
Donnie is preaching. And although little babies squealing in delight is
adorable, I’m pretty sure it’s not that conducive to studying God’s word! :) You
did great and acted like an old pro when I handed you off…but it tugged
at my heart just a little bit to watch you clinging on to someone other
than me through the window.
I’ll be honest, I had a hard time concentrating during church! I kept
waiting to see my number flash up on the screen because I knew how tired
you were and how hard it is to get you to sleep when you’re overtired. I
knew that you were going to need your Mommy to help you fall
asleep. But my number never appeared. I even had to leave during the
offering to pick you up just a little bit early because I was just sure you’d be missing your Mommy. Wrong again!
You were snoozing in the swing, paci in mouth and blankie in hand. It
made me smile and seeing your chubby little fingers grasping your
blankie so tightly made me love you a tiny bit more.
You’re getting so big, Will! You seem to learn a new skill every day. You take joy in turning off lights (our own little energy-saver!), petting the dogs, and grabbing everything within reach. Your hand-eye coordination is much improved from your newborn days. You make such a wide variety of noises that I have a hard time keeping up! You love love love reading Where the Wild Things Are and you giggle when I say, “let the wild rumpus start!” I’m sure that book will be a much loved favorite for years to come. And I’m sure you’ll create lots of wild rumpuses and that I’ll call you “wild thing” and send you to your room. :) I love the way you’ve started sucking on your bottom lip again. It accentuates your chubby cheeks and your over-sized ears and is so stinkin’ cute! I love how curious you are about everything and I especially love your “yucky” face when you get a taste of something that wasn’t quite what you were expecting (like Grannie’s ice cold water on a metal spoon or the avocado I made for you tonight). I think some of my favorite moments with you are right after you wake up from a nap. You suck your paci, clutch your blankie, snuggle deep down into my arms, and look around with your big blue eyes. Just taking it all in.
I know I’ve said it before, but I can’t get over just how lucky I am to be your Mom. I never knew I could feel this way about someone, especially someone who can’t hold a conversation with me or someone I’ve only know for four months. These last four months with you have been the best four months of my life and it’s such a delight to spend life with you. I know God has huge plans for you and I’m so excited to see your big heart chase hard after him. I pray daily that He would teach me how to be your Mommy, that He would help me shape you into the person He wants you to be.
I am so glad to have you in my life, so glad to hug you, to kiss you, to smile at you, and to live life with you and your Daddy. I love you so much, Mister!
Love,
Mommy
You’re getting so big, Will! You seem to learn a new skill every day. You take joy in turning off lights (our own little energy-saver!), petting the dogs, and grabbing everything within reach. Your hand-eye coordination is much improved from your newborn days. You make such a wide variety of noises that I have a hard time keeping up! You love love love reading Where the Wild Things Are and you giggle when I say, “let the wild rumpus start!” I’m sure that book will be a much loved favorite for years to come. And I’m sure you’ll create lots of wild rumpuses and that I’ll call you “wild thing” and send you to your room. :) I love the way you’ve started sucking on your bottom lip again. It accentuates your chubby cheeks and your over-sized ears and is so stinkin’ cute! I love how curious you are about everything and I especially love your “yucky” face when you get a taste of something that wasn’t quite what you were expecting (like Grannie’s ice cold water on a metal spoon or the avocado I made for you tonight). I think some of my favorite moments with you are right after you wake up from a nap. You suck your paci, clutch your blankie, snuggle deep down into my arms, and look around with your big blue eyes. Just taking it all in.
I know I’ve said it before, but I can’t get over just how lucky I am to be your Mom. I never knew I could feel this way about someone, especially someone who can’t hold a conversation with me or someone I’ve only know for four months. These last four months with you have been the best four months of my life and it’s such a delight to spend life with you. I know God has huge plans for you and I’m so excited to see your big heart chase hard after him. I pray daily that He would teach me how to be your Mommy, that He would help me shape you into the person He wants you to be.
I am so glad to have you in my life, so glad to hug you, to kiss you, to smile at you, and to live life with you and your Daddy. I love you so much, Mister!
Love,
Mommy
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Dear Will,
Today you are four months old. Four months! How is that even
possible? It seems like yesterday that I was meeting you for the first
time…slow down baby boy! You are the best gift that I’ve ever been given
and I can’t thank you enough for making me a Mommy. You bring joy to my
life each and every day. You make me smile, you make me laugh, and
sometimes you even make me cry. But I love every single second of it. I
thought I loved you four months ago…boy, I had no idea what was coming!
The depth of my love for you is greater than I ever imagined possible.
It’s scary and exciting and wonderful. It makes me wonder if the way I
feel about you can even come close
to the way God feels about each of his children. I hope one day you’ll
experience that overwhelming, knock-you-off-your-feet type of love for
your own child, so you can fully realize the way I feel about you,
precious boy.
You’re so different than you were four months ago. You giggle, you grin, you talk, and are a total ham. You love to be the center of attention and like nothing more than to have “conversations” with people. You can entertain a whole group of old ladies by grinning and flirting with them! You’re a roller now. You can roll from tummy to back and are still incredibly close at going from back to tummy. You love to snuggle, your paci, Where the Wild Things Are, the pool, the Mei Tai carrier, bath time, the Exersaucer, the dogs, and being outside. There isn’t too much you dislike anymore! You are fascinated with faces right now. You reach your chubby little arms up and grab for Mommy or Daddy’s nose, eyes, and lips while we’re holding you. You love to fly on my knees and to be pulled up to sitting or standing. When we sing “The Wheels on the Bus” you grin and laugh when I get to the part where the “mommies go shh shh shh.” It gets you every time, so I sing it more often on purpose. We both end up rolling on the floor laughing.
You’re still not a great sleeper, but I’ve decided that I don’t care. This time with you is flying by so fast that sleeping in our bed for a few months isn’t going to matter in the grand scheme of things. And I might just secretly enjoy those midnight wakings…just you and me in the dark, staring at each other until we both drift back off to sleep. Sweet, peaceful moments that I’ll never get to experience again.
I love you so much, Will. Thank you for making me a Mommy and for being such a blessing in our lives.
Love,
Mommy
You’re so different than you were four months ago. You giggle, you grin, you talk, and are a total ham. You love to be the center of attention and like nothing more than to have “conversations” with people. You can entertain a whole group of old ladies by grinning and flirting with them! You’re a roller now. You can roll from tummy to back and are still incredibly close at going from back to tummy. You love to snuggle, your paci, Where the Wild Things Are, the pool, the Mei Tai carrier, bath time, the Exersaucer, the dogs, and being outside. There isn’t too much you dislike anymore! You are fascinated with faces right now. You reach your chubby little arms up and grab for Mommy or Daddy’s nose, eyes, and lips while we’re holding you. You love to fly on my knees and to be pulled up to sitting or standing. When we sing “The Wheels on the Bus” you grin and laugh when I get to the part where the “mommies go shh shh shh.” It gets you every time, so I sing it more often on purpose. We both end up rolling on the floor laughing.
You’re still not a great sleeper, but I’ve decided that I don’t care. This time with you is flying by so fast that sleeping in our bed for a few months isn’t going to matter in the grand scheme of things. And I might just secretly enjoy those midnight wakings…just you and me in the dark, staring at each other until we both drift back off to sleep. Sweet, peaceful moments that I’ll never get to experience again.
I love you so much, Will. Thank you for making me a Mommy and for being such a blessing in our lives.
Love,
Mommy
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Dear Will,
You're three months old today, baby boy! We've had you in our lives for three amazing months...a quarter of a year. And my, has it gone by fast. Looking back at your newborn pictures, I can hardly believe that you were so little once! You've changed in huge ways and your little personality is really starting to show through. You smile more and more every day, you babble non-stop, and you love to squeal. I feel like the luckiest person in the world because I get to be your Mommy...such a wonderful job that I love with all my heart!
At three months, you've already gone through your first big transition in life...a move to a new house! You've started sleeping in your crib during naps, but Mommy just isn't ready for you to be so far away at night. It's reassuring to hear your steady little breaths and sighs in the middle of the night, to know that you're okay and that you're safe. You've developed a love for your paci. You liked it okay before, but you're just a little obsessive about it now. You just transitioned to a new paci too, and I must admit, putting away the Soothies that you started using in the hospital was a little bit sad for me. I love to see you grow and change, but I wish I could hold on to each moment with you so small for longer.
I'm not looking forward to the day where I'll have to pack up all your 0-3 month clothes, though I know that day is coming soon! They get more snug on you by the day and your 3-6 month clothes aren't as gigantic as they were a few weeks ago. You're still wearing size 2 diapers and you go through more of those in a day than I ever thought possible! :) Your favorite things are your activity mat (you now can grab the animals hanging from it and you quickly stuff them in your mouth), story time (you particularly love reading Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and Armadillo Tattle Tale), and standing up. You still aren't a huge fan of the carseat (though you are getting better) or tummy time (you still pitch a fit after a few minutes on your tummy), even though you'd much prefer sleeping on your tummy to your back. You're getting close to rolling from back to tummy - you pull your feet up in the air and rock back and forth. You love watching the dogs play and even though I hate it, you love to watch the TV. We're starting to see your social side come out a little too. You love seeing other babies - you're mesmerized by them! You stare for awhile and eventually start to talk and babble to them...having your own little conversation, I suppose.
As we see your personality develop more and more, your Daddy and I are realizing that you got just a touch of your Mommy's stubbornness. You voice your opinion about things loudly and make sure that we know just how you feel. If I try to give you a bottle and you want to nurse, you will have nothing to do with the bottle. I usually end up giving in ;) Or if we try to put you down for a nap and you want to talk, you'll have nothing to do with napping. Coming from your very hard-headed Mommy, being stubborn isn't a bad thing. I think it's actually a compliment to be called stubborn. It means that you don't settle - you fight for what you want and deserve. That fight and that drive will get you places in life. I hope that you're stubborn for God, that you don't settle and become complacent in your relationship with Him. I hope that you're stubborn for His Kingdom and that you fight for salvation for the world. I hope that you're stubborn when you're looking for the woman that you'll marry because you deserve to be with the person God put on Earth for you. You, little man, can change the world. You are a strong child of God and He has a purpose for your life...don't ever forget that!
I love you with all my heart, Will.
Love,
Mommy
At three months, you've already gone through your first big transition in life...a move to a new house! You've started sleeping in your crib during naps, but Mommy just isn't ready for you to be so far away at night. It's reassuring to hear your steady little breaths and sighs in the middle of the night, to know that you're okay and that you're safe. You've developed a love for your paci. You liked it okay before, but you're just a little obsessive about it now. You just transitioned to a new paci too, and I must admit, putting away the Soothies that you started using in the hospital was a little bit sad for me. I love to see you grow and change, but I wish I could hold on to each moment with you so small for longer.
I'm not looking forward to the day where I'll have to pack up all your 0-3 month clothes, though I know that day is coming soon! They get more snug on you by the day and your 3-6 month clothes aren't as gigantic as they were a few weeks ago. You're still wearing size 2 diapers and you go through more of those in a day than I ever thought possible! :) Your favorite things are your activity mat (you now can grab the animals hanging from it and you quickly stuff them in your mouth), story time (you particularly love reading Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and Armadillo Tattle Tale), and standing up. You still aren't a huge fan of the carseat (though you are getting better) or tummy time (you still pitch a fit after a few minutes on your tummy), even though you'd much prefer sleeping on your tummy to your back. You're getting close to rolling from back to tummy - you pull your feet up in the air and rock back and forth. You love watching the dogs play and even though I hate it, you love to watch the TV. We're starting to see your social side come out a little too. You love seeing other babies - you're mesmerized by them! You stare for awhile and eventually start to talk and babble to them...having your own little conversation, I suppose.
As we see your personality develop more and more, your Daddy and I are realizing that you got just a touch of your Mommy's stubbornness. You voice your opinion about things loudly and make sure that we know just how you feel. If I try to give you a bottle and you want to nurse, you will have nothing to do with the bottle. I usually end up giving in ;) Or if we try to put you down for a nap and you want to talk, you'll have nothing to do with napping. Coming from your very hard-headed Mommy, being stubborn isn't a bad thing. I think it's actually a compliment to be called stubborn. It means that you don't settle - you fight for what you want and deserve. That fight and that drive will get you places in life. I hope that you're stubborn for God, that you don't settle and become complacent in your relationship with Him. I hope that you're stubborn for His Kingdom and that you fight for salvation for the world. I hope that you're stubborn when you're looking for the woman that you'll marry because you deserve to be with the person God put on Earth for you. You, little man, can change the world. You are a strong child of God and He has a purpose for your life...don't ever forget that!
I love you with all my heart, Will.
Love,
Mommy
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Dear Will,
Today you are two months old, baby boy! Time with you has gone by too fast...I can't even remember what life was like before you. You have changed me so much in two months, sweet boy. So much for the better. I knew you would change me, but I didn't realize what a dramatic, wonderful change that would be. You're laying across my lap right now, sound asleep with your little mouth hanging open. Your Daddy says that I sleep exactly the same way and it makes me smile to see how much you take after both of us. Even silly little things like the way we sleep is similar!
You have started giggling in the last couple weeks and it gets me every time! Your Daddy and I know just how to make you smile anymore and I can't get enough of it. You are so cute, little man! But that giggle...oh boy. I'm going to be in trouble when you get older. I can't resist those eyes or that giggle. I love the way your entire face lights up when you smile. I love that you find joy in high pitched voices, ceiling fans, and your Daddy blowing raspberries in your face. You are becoming more and more independent every day. You hold your head up very well - it never falls backwards anymore and most of the time you can catch it if it starts to fall forwards. You love sitting on my lap facing out so you can see everything. You are so curious and inquisitive about the world around you. I have a feeling you are going to be into everything when you get older so you can see how things work! If we put you up on our shoulder, you usually push away so you can look around.
The past week has been really hard on me. I had to go back to work to finish up the school year and I have missed you so much. I get home and I just stare at you and try to soak you in. Your smell, your perfect, tiny nose, your adorable lips, your bright blue eyes. I don't get nearly enough of you when I'm gone all day. I am so thankful that God has given me the opportunity to stay home with you while you're little...I can't imagine having to leave you every day!
You're probably weighing in close to 12 1/2 pounds now...when did you get so big? You've moved into size two diapers and are fitting solidly into 0-3 month clothes. I doubt you'll fit in most of them for too much longer. I'm trying to savor each of your precious tiny outfits because I know that I might not ever get to see you wearing them again. You love to nurse with one arm up by your head. You have perfected the pouty face and can pull the corners of your lips down more than I ever thought possible! (That face gets me every time too!) You're consistently sleeping through the night, usually 7 or 8 hours at a time. You still hate your carseat and scream like there's no tomorrow every time you get in it. You love bathtime, being swaddled in the Miracle blanket, the Moby Wrap, your paci, and being outside. In the past few weeks you've started to reach and grab for things...and anytime you do manage to get ahold of something, it goes straight for your mouth! You love laying on your changing table and talking to your Mommy and Daddy.
I hope you know how much you are loved, Will. I didn't know my heart was capable of such powerful emotions. I usually am not the type of person who is lost for words, but when I try to express my intense love for you, words fail me. All I know to say is my cup runneth over. I have more joy and love than I ever thought to ask for. My life is overflowing...and I love it. I love you :)
God has blessed us so richly with you, Will!
Love,
Mommy
You have started giggling in the last couple weeks and it gets me every time! Your Daddy and I know just how to make you smile anymore and I can't get enough of it. You are so cute, little man! But that giggle...oh boy. I'm going to be in trouble when you get older. I can't resist those eyes or that giggle. I love the way your entire face lights up when you smile. I love that you find joy in high pitched voices, ceiling fans, and your Daddy blowing raspberries in your face. You are becoming more and more independent every day. You hold your head up very well - it never falls backwards anymore and most of the time you can catch it if it starts to fall forwards. You love sitting on my lap facing out so you can see everything. You are so curious and inquisitive about the world around you. I have a feeling you are going to be into everything when you get older so you can see how things work! If we put you up on our shoulder, you usually push away so you can look around.
The past week has been really hard on me. I had to go back to work to finish up the school year and I have missed you so much. I get home and I just stare at you and try to soak you in. Your smell, your perfect, tiny nose, your adorable lips, your bright blue eyes. I don't get nearly enough of you when I'm gone all day. I am so thankful that God has given me the opportunity to stay home with you while you're little...I can't imagine having to leave you every day!
You're probably weighing in close to 12 1/2 pounds now...when did you get so big? You've moved into size two diapers and are fitting solidly into 0-3 month clothes. I doubt you'll fit in most of them for too much longer. I'm trying to savor each of your precious tiny outfits because I know that I might not ever get to see you wearing them again. You love to nurse with one arm up by your head. You have perfected the pouty face and can pull the corners of your lips down more than I ever thought possible! (That face gets me every time too!) You're consistently sleeping through the night, usually 7 or 8 hours at a time. You still hate your carseat and scream like there's no tomorrow every time you get in it. You love bathtime, being swaddled in the Miracle blanket, the Moby Wrap, your paci, and being outside. In the past few weeks you've started to reach and grab for things...and anytime you do manage to get ahold of something, it goes straight for your mouth! You love laying on your changing table and talking to your Mommy and Daddy.
I hope you know how much you are loved, Will. I didn't know my heart was capable of such powerful emotions. I usually am not the type of person who is lost for words, but when I try to express my intense love for you, words fail me. All I know to say is my cup runneth over. I have more joy and love than I ever thought to ask for. My life is overflowing...and I love it. I love you :)
God has blessed us so richly with you, Will!
Love,
Mommy
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Happy One Month Birthday, Will!
Dear Will,
Today you are one month old...I can't believe how fast the time has gone. It seems like yesterday that I was laying in the hospital bed staring at your sweet little face completely in awe that you were mine. Now you've grown into a baby who is developing his own personality and learning about the world. At one month, you:
- love the hair dryer. It calms you down in seconds...I use this as an easy way to get ready in the morning. I plop you in the Moby Wrap, turn on the hair dryer, and I have a good 10-15 minutes to do what I need to!
- love tummy time. We have tummy time/play time about twice a day and you love the tummy time portion of it. Most of the time you just look around you, but every so often you'll do a "superman" pose with your head, arms, and legs off the ground. It's so cute!
- have outgrown the first setting on your car seat straps. We drove to Houston last weekend and realized that we need to raise them up some!
- have started sleeping for about 4 hours, once a night. Mommy and Daddy are SO thankful for this!
- are wearing size one diapers and 0-3 month clothes. There are a few newborn outfits that still fit, but most of them are too short.
- are very alert. Your Daddy loves to come home and hold you - you pick your head up and look all around!
- are an expert at fighting sleep. Thankfully, you only seem to do this during the day. You just don't want to close your eyes and miss out on anything!
- love sitting on my lap and reading. I read you at least one story a day and you stare at the colors on the pages with your curious face (wide eyes, eyebrows raised, mouth in an "O" shape).
- love your paci! You're still using the ones they gave us in the hospital...when you're tired and we give it to you chomp down and make an "ah ah ah ah ah" noise.
- are becoming more vocal. We hear your sweet little noises mostly when you're eating and are perfectly content.
- make a "turtle" face when you stretch...I love this face! You pucker your lips so your top lip sticks out (a bit like a turtle) and your wrinkle your forehead.
- have smiled a couple times, but you still don't do it very consistently.
- are awake and active about twice a day - once in the morning around 10:00 and once in the afternoon around 4:00. We have our playtime then and you usually sleep for a couple hours afterward.
Your Daddy and I are so proud of you, Will. You have changed our lives so much and we are so happy with our little family. We're getting ready to move into our first house with you and I'm so excited imagining all the things we're going to do there...all the smiles and memories that will be made in the walls of that house. I can't thank God enough for blessing us with you - you are truly a gift to us :)
I love you, Will!
Love,
Mommy
Today you are one month old...I can't believe how fast the time has gone. It seems like yesterday that I was laying in the hospital bed staring at your sweet little face completely in awe that you were mine. Now you've grown into a baby who is developing his own personality and learning about the world. At one month, you:
- love the hair dryer. It calms you down in seconds...I use this as an easy way to get ready in the morning. I plop you in the Moby Wrap, turn on the hair dryer, and I have a good 10-15 minutes to do what I need to!
- love tummy time. We have tummy time/play time about twice a day and you love the tummy time portion of it. Most of the time you just look around you, but every so often you'll do a "superman" pose with your head, arms, and legs off the ground. It's so cute!
- have outgrown the first setting on your car seat straps. We drove to Houston last weekend and realized that we need to raise them up some!
- have started sleeping for about 4 hours, once a night. Mommy and Daddy are SO thankful for this!
- are wearing size one diapers and 0-3 month clothes. There are a few newborn outfits that still fit, but most of them are too short.
- are very alert. Your Daddy loves to come home and hold you - you pick your head up and look all around!
- are an expert at fighting sleep. Thankfully, you only seem to do this during the day. You just don't want to close your eyes and miss out on anything!
- love sitting on my lap and reading. I read you at least one story a day and you stare at the colors on the pages with your curious face (wide eyes, eyebrows raised, mouth in an "O" shape).
- love your paci! You're still using the ones they gave us in the hospital...when you're tired and we give it to you chomp down and make an "ah ah ah ah ah" noise.
- are becoming more vocal. We hear your sweet little noises mostly when you're eating and are perfectly content.
- make a "turtle" face when you stretch...I love this face! You pucker your lips so your top lip sticks out (a bit like a turtle) and your wrinkle your forehead.
- have smiled a couple times, but you still don't do it very consistently.
- are awake and active about twice a day - once in the morning around 10:00 and once in the afternoon around 4:00. We have our playtime then and you usually sleep for a couple hours afterward.
Your Daddy and I are so proud of you, Will. You have changed our lives so much and we are so happy with our little family. We're getting ready to move into our first house with you and I'm so excited imagining all the things we're going to do there...all the smiles and memories that will be made in the walls of that house. I can't thank God enough for blessing us with you - you are truly a gift to us :)
I love you, Will!
Love,
Mommy
Saturday, April 4, 2009
One Week
Dear Will,
Today you are one week old! This makes Mommy both happy and sad. I'm happy that you're healthy and growing (you were 8 pounds 3.5 ounces at the doctor yesterday!), but I'm sad that my time with you is already going way, way too fast. I can no longer count your age in days - you're now a whole week old! Your birth seems like it was forever ago, yet I can still remember the details so vividly. My favorite part was seeing you for the first time - seeing your perfect little nose, your adorable cleft chin, your long fingers and precious tiny feet. I love this stage with you, even though it means I'm up several times during the night nursing you and comforting you.
You make the most adorable faces! We say you have an "old man" forehead - it wrinkles up a thousand times when you frown. And you frown a lot! Anytime Mommy or Daddy does something that you're not too crazy about, you frown. You also have the most pathetic and adorable little pout. I'm going to have to be careful when you get older because I think that little pout could get me in a lot of trouble :) You are so snuggly right now too. I'm soaking up as much snuggle time with you now a I can. After I nurse you, you love to curl up on my chest and I'm content to let you lay there for as long as you like. Actually, I'm content to just be near you always. I can't believe how much my life has changed in the week that you've been here. I never could have imagined what it would be like with you here and I never, ever could have thought it would be so, so wonderful.
You got your first at-home bath last night, and boy, you were not a happy camper! Your Grandma and Daddy helped me bathe you while your Granddad took pictures. You screamed your head off and threw a huge fit. But once we were ready to start drying you off, you calmed right down! We swaddled you tight in a cozy warm blanket and you fell asleep right away. And you slept so well during the night - you let your Mommy and Daddy get three long stretches of sleep that were three hours each! We were glad to get the sleep and even more glad to see you get well rested too.
Whenever you get fussy, I put my face very close to yours and "shhhhush" you. It works 95% of the time. You nuzzle your little nose into my face and bury your face in my hair. This works when Daddy does it too. You love being close to us and you love being wrapped up in blankets. You also love your paci. You are definitely a paci guy! You know how to "hold" it into your mouth all by yourself too. When you're hungry and ready to eat, you usually start to scream your head off. But you know exactly what time it is when you get put down on a pillow next to Mommy. Just as you are about to latch on, you give one last little fuss - kind of an "ahh ahh" sound. It's like you're so relieved that you're getting to nurse again and it is so completely adorable!
Though I'm sad you're getting older, I love learning new things about you every day. I have such huge hopes and dreams for you, little boy. I pray that God will protect you and that he would lead you in a life that would glorify him. I want to see you grow up and learn all the Bible stories and learn to sing all the children's songs at church. I want to see you learn how to be submissive to God's will and how to listen to Him when he whispers to you. He has a purpose for your life and plans for you that are greater than your Daddy or I could ever imagine. I pray that you would always turn to God first - even before me or your Daddy.
I love you, Will. I love you so much it makes my heart ache.
Love,
Mommy
Today you are one week old! This makes Mommy both happy and sad. I'm happy that you're healthy and growing (you were 8 pounds 3.5 ounces at the doctor yesterday!), but I'm sad that my time with you is already going way, way too fast. I can no longer count your age in days - you're now a whole week old! Your birth seems like it was forever ago, yet I can still remember the details so vividly. My favorite part was seeing you for the first time - seeing your perfect little nose, your adorable cleft chin, your long fingers and precious tiny feet. I love this stage with you, even though it means I'm up several times during the night nursing you and comforting you.
You make the most adorable faces! We say you have an "old man" forehead - it wrinkles up a thousand times when you frown. And you frown a lot! Anytime Mommy or Daddy does something that you're not too crazy about, you frown. You also have the most pathetic and adorable little pout. I'm going to have to be careful when you get older because I think that little pout could get me in a lot of trouble :) You are so snuggly right now too. I'm soaking up as much snuggle time with you now a I can. After I nurse you, you love to curl up on my chest and I'm content to let you lay there for as long as you like. Actually, I'm content to just be near you always. I can't believe how much my life has changed in the week that you've been here. I never could have imagined what it would be like with you here and I never, ever could have thought it would be so, so wonderful.
You got your first at-home bath last night, and boy, you were not a happy camper! Your Grandma and Daddy helped me bathe you while your Granddad took pictures. You screamed your head off and threw a huge fit. But once we were ready to start drying you off, you calmed right down! We swaddled you tight in a cozy warm blanket and you fell asleep right away. And you slept so well during the night - you let your Mommy and Daddy get three long stretches of sleep that were three hours each! We were glad to get the sleep and even more glad to see you get well rested too.
Whenever you get fussy, I put my face very close to yours and "shhhhush" you. It works 95% of the time. You nuzzle your little nose into my face and bury your face in my hair. This works when Daddy does it too. You love being close to us and you love being wrapped up in blankets. You also love your paci. You are definitely a paci guy! You know how to "hold" it into your mouth all by yourself too. When you're hungry and ready to eat, you usually start to scream your head off. But you know exactly what time it is when you get put down on a pillow next to Mommy. Just as you are about to latch on, you give one last little fuss - kind of an "ahh ahh" sound. It's like you're so relieved that you're getting to nurse again and it is so completely adorable!
Though I'm sad you're getting older, I love learning new things about you every day. I have such huge hopes and dreams for you, little boy. I pray that God will protect you and that he would lead you in a life that would glorify him. I want to see you grow up and learn all the Bible stories and learn to sing all the children's songs at church. I want to see you learn how to be submissive to God's will and how to listen to Him when he whispers to you. He has a purpose for your life and plans for you that are greater than your Daddy or I could ever imagine. I pray that you would always turn to God first - even before me or your Daddy.
I love you, Will. I love you so much it makes my heart ache.
Love,
Mommy
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Eviction Notice
Dear William,
Please consider this your final eviction notice. Your lease is up on Monday, however there have been some questionable practices going on in your dwelling place since Sunday night. These include (but are not limited to), painful contractions that don't end up in labor and attempted rib-breaking. You have 24 hours to vacate the premises or your landlord may have to forcefully remove you.
Thank you for your cooperation,
Mommy
-------
I'm 39 weeks today. I know that I'm not to my due date yet, but the past few days have been somewhat close to torture. I've been having fairly regular contractions since Monday morning at 3am. They get further apart during the day (and sometimes allow me a little break and disappear completely), but they strike again in the middle of the night. I'm operating on about 8 hours of sleep for the past 48 hours and it's not pretty! In the past few hours, they've intensified slightly (though they're still irregular and not close together), and I'm also having what I'd consider back labor. My lower back hurts terribly with each contraction. Definitely not a fun feeling! My OB said that this could possibly go on for a week. After two days of it, I'm about to beg for an induction at my appointment tomorrow...I'm SO tired, physically and emotionally...completely drained. I'm not sure how I'm expected to go through labor and then care for a newborn when I haven't been sleeping. I'm going to take some Benadryl tonight and see if that helps any. I'm not too optimistic!
In more positive news, I got one of the sweetest, most thoughtful gifts on Sunday. It's from my Aunt Gena, my cousins, my grandma, and my mom. Way back in October, my mom flew out to Albuquerque, New Mexico for the balloon festival. She stayed with my Aunt. My grandma came down at the same time. Apparently, an idea was concocted then to create a quilt for Baby Will...although we didn't know that Will was a "he" at the time! Each girl created a square for the quilt that had to have a heart and a character on it. After everyone finished their square, my Aunt Gena quilted the whole thing and then my grandma hand-sewed the binding. They sent it to my mom and I picked it up on Sunday. I LOVE IT!! It's seriously the perfect gift :) And the funny thing is, I was able to tell, just by looking at the squares who created them. I'm so excited to have such a meaningful thing for Will to use through his entire life. And I know that thing is going to get lots and lots of love.
Top (Left) - Emily's square, Grandma's square; Middle - Mom's square, Hannah's square; Bottom (Left) - Ruthie's square, Gena's square
I'll update after my appointment tomorrow, although I'm really, REALLY praying that this baby decides to arrive before then. If that's the case, I may not update for a few days :)
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Dear Will,
Hi sweet little boy. I wanted to write just to you today because your time to snuggle up inside me is quickly coming to a close. I can't believe that in just 7 short weeks, you'll be here to snuggle in my arms. The past 8 months since your daddy and I found out about you have gone by so quickly!
You have a personality all your own and I cannot wait to see that personality in your smiles, giggles, surprise, wonder, and laughter. You love to wiggle when I get still and you love it when I lay down at night. You kick and squirm and I imagine that you're settling in and getting comfy for a goodnight sleep. You are very responsive to your mommy and daddy's touches. Today, I was walking down the hall and you started poking on my tummy from the inside. I put my hand over where you were poking and you got very still for a moment. Then you started an all out punching war on the place where my hand was. It made me smile - it was almost as if you were saying hi!
I look at your pictures from our ultrasounds almost every day and I can't wait to see what you look like. Your little nose looks like it is perfect for kisses and in your last pictures, we could see you getting some chubby little cheeks! I wonder what color your hair and eyes will be, if you'll have my chin or your daddy's wavy hair. Whatever you have, it will be perfect. When we were choosing your name, we looked closely at the meaning of it. Your first name means "protector." Your middle name, though, means "gift from God." And a gift you truly are. He picked you out especially for us and it makes me smile to think of you hanging out in Heaven with Jesus waiting to come into our lives.
You are very special to us and you are very, very loved. We'll see you in 7 weeks!
Love,
Mommy
You have a personality all your own and I cannot wait to see that personality in your smiles, giggles, surprise, wonder, and laughter. You love to wiggle when I get still and you love it when I lay down at night. You kick and squirm and I imagine that you're settling in and getting comfy for a goodnight sleep. You are very responsive to your mommy and daddy's touches. Today, I was walking down the hall and you started poking on my tummy from the inside. I put my hand over where you were poking and you got very still for a moment. Then you started an all out punching war on the place where my hand was. It made me smile - it was almost as if you were saying hi!
I look at your pictures from our ultrasounds almost every day and I can't wait to see what you look like. Your little nose looks like it is perfect for kisses and in your last pictures, we could see you getting some chubby little cheeks! I wonder what color your hair and eyes will be, if you'll have my chin or your daddy's wavy hair. Whatever you have, it will be perfect. When we were choosing your name, we looked closely at the meaning of it. Your first name means "protector." Your middle name, though, means "gift from God." And a gift you truly are. He picked you out especially for us and it makes me smile to think of you hanging out in Heaven with Jesus waiting to come into our lives.
You are very special to us and you are very, very loved. We'll see you in 7 weeks!
Love,
Mommy
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
