The Things You Say

Dearest Morgen --

You have so much to say these days!  Things like:

The "a" sound for "apple."
Ball, baby, book, bonk, baba (instead of Papa), and boob.  
Dada and doll and dog.  
Eye.  
You've tried to say "green" while pointing to a plant, and "hot" while waiting for dinner to cool.
You know that you are a good girl and you often call Fraggle a good girl, even though we know she misbehaves quite a bit.
You're learning to say light.  
There's more and mouth. 
There's Nana and no (usually said as "no no").

You also know the sounds that elephants, monkeys, puppies, and snakes make.

There are times when you whisper in my ear, telling me the most elaborate stories.  Soon words will replace the sounds and inflections and I can only imagine the fun we will have then.

And while all those words are wonderful, there's nothing better than coming home after a long day and hearing you say "Mama" while running to give me a big hug.

I love you.

xoxo....mommy.

Amazing

My darling Morgen --


I bring my laptop to the office with me so I can listen to music while I work.  It also serves as a digital photo frame, in a sense, because I have the screen saver set up to display pictures.  It's just a nice thing to have because all day long I see pictures of you, Sonne, Daddy, the puppies, and places we have been and the family and friends we know and love.


As the pictures go by, I'm astounded at how much you have changed in just one year.  You were so tiny, so fragile.  Then you grew.  You put on baby fat and grew even cuter.  Then you started to hold up your head, roll over, sit up on your own.  Now you're crawling all over the place, pulling yourself up to stand, and I'm sure that in no time you'll be walking (probably running).


It's just amazing to watch and we so love watching you.


xoxo...Mommy.

Being Your Mommy

Dearest Morgen --


I am so lucky to be your mommy.


I love watching you explore your world.  You are starting to experience things on your own and it is wonderful.  And still, when you need comfort, you come back to me.


Right now you are sitting on the floor playing with the Baby Bjorn.  Yesterday you managed to remove the "do not remove" tag.  Today I think you are trying to figure out what each strap and button is used for.  There are holes on two of the straps.  You know they have a purpose, but what could that purpose be?  If any baby can figure it out, I know it will be you.


You just paused to smile at me and make a few baby sounds.


I love you so much.


Yesterday your daddy and I took you swimming for the first time.  You sat in your floater and kicked your legs almost the entire time.  We "swam" around the pool with you kicking and splashing all around. Afterwards you fell asleep in my arms poolside.  What a perfect way to spend your 11th month-iversary!


You are growing up so quickly.  I can hardly believe we will be celebrating your birthday a month from now.  Family and friends will be gathered to celebrate you.  It's not going to be an easy time for your daddy or me as we will be missing your sister.  I hope you know, that despite our sadness over the loss of Sonne, we love you and love watching you grow and change.


We absolutely love the person you are becoming.  So inquisitive.  So cuddly.  So unique and wonderful and special.


And, while your birthday will be a special day, know that we celebrate you everyday.  Just being with you is a celebration -- of life, of wonder, of love.


We love you.


xoxo...Mommy.

Our Trip Together

Hello meine Kekse --


What a lovely weekend we spent together as a family.  You were such a good traveller, taking the sights and sounds and experiences in stride.  Four plane trips in three days.  Two long car trips from the Little Rock airport to Hot Springs Village and back.  Countless strangers cooing over you.


I loved how excited you were when you first met your great grandmother.  Smiling and belly laughing for her in ways we had never before witnessed.  When I spoke to her this morning she remarked that you two have a special connection.  I think she's probably right.  


Your daddy and I loved watching you crawl for the first time in GGMa's apartment.  You didn't go very far, but you did it!  It seems you embraced tummy time and rolling finally while visiting Arkansas.  I couldn't believe my eyes as we watched you roll all over her floor.


I had such fun playing with you on Sunday afternoon in our little rental.  Daddy was sleeping and we sat on the floor in the front room.  You were rollings and pushing yourself along the laminate floor trying to catch your cups as I rolled them along.  It was a simply game, but those are often the best.


It was sad leaving GGMa's on Monday.  I hope we will be able to visit her again.  She's quite elderly now and her body causes her a lot of pain, but her mind is quick witted and her spirit still shines.  She thanked us so many times for bringing you to visit and, while I know it was a very special time for her, it was just as special for me.  For me, it was important to introduce you and your daddy to her.  I've probably only had a handful of visits with her over the years, but she is important.  She holds the story of your Nana's story within her.  She has been around for nearly a century and seen so many changes in our world.  She grew up during simpler times and she has a wisdom about her that I hope to one day command.  I hope you will take more time than I to visit with your grandparents when you are older.  They have stories to tell and experiences to share.


Your daddy said that a piece of the puzzle that is me was filled in for him during this visit.  I'm happy to know that he was moved by our trip and thrilled he feels a little closer to me as a result.


For you, while I don't expect you will remember the trip itself, I hope some part of the experience will leave a lasting impression on your person.  Even if that lasting impression simply encourages you to laugh even when you are hurting.

Well Hello!!

My darling Morgen --


I miss you terribly while I am away at work, but I so love coming home to you!  Lately you have had so much to say -- cooing and oohing and aahing.  It's just wonderful to listen to you and watch you try to form your first words.


I love having you reach out your arms to me when I walk up to you.


I love having you give me "kisses."


I love playing our little monkey-see, monkey-do game of imitation.


Simply put...I love you.


xoxo...Mommy

Little Amazing You

Hi Honey!

I'm at work and thinking about you.  You have been changing so much over the past few weeks.  It's incredible!

You're sitting up, albeit with a little help.  You have become incredibly talkative -- we can hardly wait for you to have words!  You are so busy exploring your world with your hands, feet, and mouth!  You are just amazing to watch!

We so enjoyed your first Christmas.  I think you may have been a bit overwhelmed by it all and that's okay.  There was so much activity!  And you got to try a new food -- sweet potatoes!  You seemed to really enjoy them which is great because they are very good for you.  :)

We took you sailing on Boxing Day (the day after Christmas).  You did a lot of sleeping and snacking, but we think you enjoyed being on the boat.  You certainly looked cool in your sunglasses.  Daddy and I look forward to more sailing trips and teaching you all about boats (sail and motor).

We love you endlessly, little one.  You bring us such joy it is indescribable.  Your smile brightens our lives and cuddling with you is possibly the best thing we do on any given day.  And while we miss your sister terribly, you help us heal and remember her and imagine what she would be like right now.  For that we are so grateful.  We have two angels in our lives -- one for us to watch over and one watching over us.

I hope you're having a good day today sweetie.  I cannot stop thinking about you and can hardly wait to get home to you this evening.

Love you!!!

xoxo...Mommy

Hi Cutie

Hi Cutie!

Oh how I'm missing you!  Being back at work is tough for your mommy.  I'm busy and that's good, but I think about you constantly and wonder what you're doing. 

Did you and Judith go for a walk today?  Did you read books?  Did you play some more in the jungle?

My work day is winding down to an end and I cannot wait to get home to you. 

It seems that you are very attuned to the sun.  When it is up, you seem to be very active and engaged.  But when it goes down, you are quick to fall asleep and will generally stay asleep until morning with only a few moments of awakedness to eat or get a fresh diaper.

It gets dark so early this time of year. It's been very dark for nearly an hour now.  I hope you'll be able to wake up and play with me for at least a few minutes.  If not, we'll cuddle and you can snack and then sleep in my arms.

The good news is that tomorrow is Friday.  That means Daddy and I only have one more day of work before we get to spend the weekend with you.

We love you!

xoxo...Mommy