Sweet Sunday,
Mama got a little carried away on the procrastinating, didn't she? I pray you will have your father's sense of timeliness. And if you don't, that I (and your future husband) will have the same forgiving heart towards you that he has towards me. :) I can't believe I'm here... writing this. You aren't really nine months old already, are you?
I look back at the last letter I wrote and I was talking to you about how you "get it." That you get life. That truly seems like forever ago, because now not only do you get it... but you are living it. No more of this infant "discovering how to live" thing. Oh no. You're here now, personality and desires and everything. You are expressing yourself, sharing opinions, you have likes and dislikes... you are all over it. And when I say "all over" I mean exactly that. You are moving and shakin, honey! You're not officially crawling yet, but you are getting around just as easily! You can pull yourself to standing (which you quite often prefer over learning to crawl). In fact, my favorite midnight moments are when I come in to find you standing up, leaning out of the bed yelling at me. How did you know that if you lean closer to the door I might hear you better? You are a genius.
There's not a speck of newborn left in you anymore... dare I say that I see a few toddlerisms developing already. Slow down! I want you to stay my baby forever!
You have reached the stage of attachment. You know who your mama is and you prefer me over everyone else. But in the evening you light up both of our hearts as you reach out for daddy when he walks in from work. Even though he travels and works a lot, you still know who he is and you love him so very much. Such a big girl!
So far, this is my favorite age. You are just the perfect little size... so easy to hold, to cuddle, to prop up on my hip. You smile and giggle but you are still pretty content with where I set you down and the toys I offer you. Breastfeeding is a breeze since you fit so snuggly in my lap now and we no longer need any help from pillows to prop you up.
You grew out of the sleep-anywhere-and-through-anything phase. If you fall asleep in the car and I try to move you, you will wake up. So, we stay home around your nap times more often now than we used to. However, you really do get bored at home. A mama's girl, for sure! So we make little trips through the week just to keep us both busy and entertained.
You love all types of animals and whenever a dog is approaching you shake your hands and feet and squeal with joy! You let Hawkeye lick you all the time (even though he is not supposed to!) and you really like sharing your food with the puppies. You LOVE being outside. In fact, there is nothing more soothing for you than being in mama's arms outside. An outdoorsy chica?? Yesss! The adventures that lie ahead of us are endless.
Oh, and girl... music? Music heals the soul, we all know that. But music soothes your anxious heart anytime of day or night. You love to sit on daddy's lap and play the piano and drums. It is his secret weapon to soothe you while I am away. I was a little nervous with daddy taking you downstairs to play the drums - they even hurt my ears - but you love it! You smile and squeal and kick your little feet!
And honey - you love food. You are a Cook baby, through and through. You will eat just about anything we put in front of you. And of course you love carbs (when you get older you can thank your daddy for all the secret carb snacks he gives you while I am not looking). Yesterday we experienced a first: you found a food you didn't like. You showed your (very wise and) very strong distaste of yogurt. Haha. Sorry honey, that is just a curse that comes from me. So much for a creamy, healthy snack (I've always wished I liked yogurt because it seems like a simple way to eat well!). That's okay, I was hesitant to give you much dairy anyway. No worries!
You play SO WELL all by yourself. Your favorite toys are the non-toys: pots, pans, kitchen utensils. You have a slight obsession with Grandmommy's chapstick and we always grab a tube of Aquaphor in the grocery store for you to play with as we shop. You are entertained by the simplest things. Here mama thought she was smart buying all these 5-toys-in-one contraptions and you just needed a wooden spoon and a floor to bang on. So funny.
It's really fun to see you growing up and enjoying life along the way. I can't explain to you the light you have brought into our lives. You have made our world a better place and we would never go back to the days before you were born (no matter how many sleepless nights mama has to go through in a row!).
xoxox sweetheart,
Mama
