Happy Birthday, Baby!

To my sweet baby girl,

Happy Birthday, Boo Boo! It is hard to believe that you are a year old. It truly feels like yesterday when we found out you were coming, when we heard your heartbeat for the first time, when we first felt you kick, when you FINALLY decided to come out, when we introduced you to Sophie for the first time... I could go on forever because the past year has been a string of fabulous moments. You have made us so very happy. And as much as I am going to miss you being a baby, I am so excited to watch you grow into the sweet little girl you are becoming.

You had a wonderful birthday! We spent a week in Chicago and you were spoiled absolutely rotten. We went to the zoo. (You loved all the animals especially the fish and big cats, but your favorite animal was the polar bear. You thought he was SO funny!) On your actual birthday Grammy made you lasagna, Mommy made you a cupcake cake, and you spent your evening dancing on the table and opening presents. For your party we had everyone over to your Nana's house for a huge celebration. Complete with help in the kitchen, caviar dip, more cupcakes than you could eat in a year, and plenty of people to play with. A party fit for a princess, and you had a great time. Your favorite present was a musical Noah's Ark from Mommy's friend Lindsay.

You are loving life as a big girl. You started walking at about 10.5 months and have not stopped moving since. Seriously. You are the busiest baby I have ever met. I treasure the moments in between your exploration when you stop for a quick hug and kiss...and then you are off again!

Your new obsession is animals. All kinds really, but dogs are your favorite. Daddy likes to play puppy videos for you on You Tube. You get all kinds of excited, shaking and screaming at the screen. You even enjoy woofing back at them :) You also have an incredible talent for spotting dogs and other animals, real or on packages, from a mile away. But don't be fooled, Sophie is still your favorite and remains the ultimate source of entertainment.

You still love music and dancing. Someone told me the other day that they were certain you were going to be a dancer when you grow up because you are so light on your feet and didn't clomp around like most toddlers. You can thank your Daddy for this. And when your friends make fun of you when you are older for doing the "jumpy" dance, please remember that your uncoordinated Mama loves you more than anything.

Your are still a little Diva. You are really good at temper tantrums, excellent at high pitched screaming, and generally well versed in how to get everything you could ever need/want from Mommy and Daddy. Please don't misunderstand. While your goal is to be terribly angry you mostly come off as adorable. And while I am excited for this phase to pass, I hope you never lose that passion and fire.

You still only have two bottom teeth. And two top ones that are desperately trying to make their way in. This in no way stops you from enjoying food-anything and everything. Still nothing green, but other than that you are a little garbage disposal. You would never guess it though- you are only 20.5 pounds...but much taller than most kiddos your age. You have the most beautiful tall and slender body with just the slightest Buddha belly- a baby requirement. You have much more hair now and Mommy loves to put bows in your hair. You mostly love the bows, but much prefer them in your mouth.

You will learn very quickly as you grow older that Mommy cries at almost everything. Just the thought of you is enough to get me going. I am so proud of you. I am so in love with you. I am so happy to be your Mommy.



And even though I won't be able to always give you the best of everything, I hope that I can give you the security in knowing that you are deeply loved. Not just by Mommy and Daddy. But by so many. And not just by friends and family, but by an awesome God who is with you wherever you go. I hope that I can instill a confidence in you that will allow you to grow into the passionate, beautiful, and intelligent girl you are already becoming. I hope I can give you the peace to wake up every morning remembering that you are the one and only ever you, that you are special, and loved, and appreciated. And that you have given us an incredible gift by just being you!

I love you Tooty Boot!

Mommy

9 month letter

Dear Abigail,

You are now 9 months old. 9 months! This past month has been full of milestones. It seems like every day you are learning something new.

-You have mastered the art of crawling. And, oh my, can you move your little 17 pound (!) body quickly. You love that you can follow Mommy and Daddy everywhere they go and are having so much fun exploring new places. Your favorite new place is the dog food bowl and you make a dash for it any chance you get. So far you are mostly unsuccessful, to your complete dismay.

-You have learned how to pull up on all the furniture and even climbed the stairs while you were visiting Grammy. (You were in the process of chasing Kramer. You didn't catch him this time, but he better watch out at our next visit!) You love to pull anything and everything down off the coffee table. Your favorite treasure is a magazine. You love to "read" them and rip out the pages. We have to watch you though because you also enjoy snacking on them.

-My favorite recent milestone, by far, is peek-a-boo. You were never very interested in playing this game until you figured out how to do it yourself- and now you are endlessly entertained. You discovered this trick while we were out lunch with Grammy and Nana. I'm sure that the people around us were terribly irritated by all of us excitedly repeating "peek-a-boo" to you over and over again. We just couldn't resist; the excited smile you get after revealing your face is priceless. You are also getting pretty good at "So Big." This stems from your desire to be the center of attention. You *love* it when people clap for you!

-You finally have teeth! Two bottom teeth to be exact. I was surprised to find that this milestone was a very difficult one for me. Your teeth are a constant reminder that my sweet baby girl is growing up. And while I am so proud of the sweet little lady you are growing up to be, I am not ready (I might never be ready) to give up your babyhood. This sadness never lasts long though. You crack me up on a regular basis and your fabulous dance moves are reason enough to cherish the big girl you are becoming.

-Despite all the sweetness you have going on, you have also learned to throw a pretty serious temper tantrum. You feel emotion so much more strongly than other 9 month olds I have met. You play hard, you love strong, and when you get upset you are not afraid to show it. You are infinitely curious and want to explore everything. (Which also usually leads to said temper tantrums. "No" is not a favorite word!)

You love music and never miss an opportunity to dance. You love going for walks. You love laughing. You love cuddling. You love bath time. You love animals, especially dogs. You are happy and fun. Curious and so smart. Beautiful. You have been divinely gifted to bring something new, unique, and wonderful to the world. You have helped me to become a better person, and I know that is only the beginning. What a blessing to be your Mommy!

I love you, Biscuit!

Mommy

6 month letter

Dear Abby,

You are 6 months old now, and oh how things have changed since the last time I wrote you! You are quickly growing out of the "baby" stage and moving right into being your own little person. You are happy. You are smart. You are so strong willed. (You can blame your Mommy for that one.) You are moments away from crawling. (Although rolling, scooting, and army crawling are getting you everywhere you want to be, which usually means everywhere Mommy and Daddy don't want you to be.) You are beautiful. Seriously, so beautiful. Your big blue eyes and huge gummy smile melt your Daddy's heart every time.

Things you love:

-Sophie. And Sophie loves you...most of the time. You think it is funny to grab her and pull her close to you and then you kick your legs because you are so excited. Sophie does not always think this is a fun game, but she'll learn.

-And dog toys. Anything that Sophie has had in her mouth you would like in your mouth. Which is gross. But it is probably the highest compliment you could pay to that dog of yours.

-Daddy. Ok, you really love your Mommy too. But, you are still a Daddy's girl. Your favorite part of the day is seeing Daddy walk through the door when he gets home from work. He always has a funny face for you and you always give him the sweet smile, the one you smile just for him.

-Uncle Drew. You celebrated your first Christmas in Chicago. And out of all of the family members you spent time with Uncle Drew was by far your favorite. You love to pull his beard and man does he make silly faces. Uncle Drew has never really liked babies before, but you have definitely stolen his heart.

-Kindermusik. We just finished our first class together- Sign and Sing. You haven't mastered any of the sign language yet, but you sure did have fun learning. You were the youngest in the class and the only girl, which didn't bother you at all. You love to sing. You love to dance. And you love to be the center of attention.

We love you more every day and constantly wonder what you will be like when you grow up. Will you play piano with those beautiful long fingers? Will you be a singer like Mommy and Daddy? Will you ever grow hair?? :) Whatever the future holds I hope you always remember how very proud I am of you and how very thankful I am to be your Mommy.

I love you, Peanut!

Mommy