Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Letter to my firecracker: 2.5 years

Darling Lily, 

If I had to sum up these last six months in a single sentence, I would have to tell you how immensely proud of you I am. It seems like seemingly overnight you went from my baby to this amazingly independent, opinionated little girl. 

I sometimes feel that your toddlerhood is slipping through my fingers, but then we cuddle up on our rocking chair with a stack of books by our side and your little white lovey clutched against your chest. I soak of these moments with you, memorizing every inch of you, trying hard to hold on to your babbling sounds and sweet, sloppy kisses. 

The last six months have brought so many wonderful changes for our family, with more still to come in the coming week while we wait for your baby sister to make her (late!) appearance. Your maternal grandmother has been staying with us for the past two weeks while we anxiously await for our newest family member and you love every minute that you get to spend with her. Watching you and Daisy develop a relationship with your grandparents has meant the world to me. While I am uncomfortable and moody and so over being pregnant, I am thankful that you get this special time with Grandma and I just know that it is the beginning of something extraordinary. 
 Your outfit of choice when picking Grandma up from the airport. 

Today you are officially 30 months, and I can barely believe it. In the past six months you have learned how to use the potty (personally, I think I am more excited about this than you are!) and your language has completely exploded. This particular phenomenon happened in the past three weeks - every day you astound me with another half-dozen new words. You still of course have your made up language, and you have the rest of your family using this language. For example, you call yourself Na, and these days we refer to you as Na. Also, every night your father asks you if you want “Da Da Hi do doot and Bubba Hi do doot” which clearly means “Would you like me to turn on Mickey and Lullaby music on the iPod? But, finally you can name all the colors, call your grandparents by name, and label desserts including your new favorite, “Cookie!,” spoken like cookie monster with your hand outstretched waiting for your treat. Additionally, you have also started sleeping in a toddler bed, however, you actually prefer to sleep on the floor and your love-affair with all things Minnie Mouse (or Mamma HI as you prefer to call her) has reached new obsession levels. 

You, my love, are such a firecracker - always pulling some sort of antic and running around like a wild animal. You constantly make me laugh. You are an artist. You will spend hours coloring in all sorts of coloring books or drawing on blank sheets of paper with whatever writing utensil you have. The magna-doodle is a must have anytime we are in the car. You love to sing like Ariel from The Little Mermaid and it’s the CUTEST THING EVER. And let’s not forget your love of dancing - anytime we hear music you MUST stop what you are doing and start dancing, even if it means we are in the aisle ways of Trader Joe’s. 
You are silly and clever and wonderful and I love you more than all the stars in the sky and the water in the ocean. 

Love, 

Momma 

Thursday, July 10, 2014

Baby Talk: Part Trois

Dear Baby Girl, 

You and I will only share my body for less than three weeks. Half the time, I think “Wow! Time flies!” And I think how much I’ll miss feeling your kicks and flutters.

However, more often then not, I reflect upon this and think: “My back hurts. My hands and feet are swollen. I’m hot. I just want to go on a long sweaty run and be sore from a hard Pilates class and not feel breathless after walking up a flight of stairs. I'm never comfortable, I hate having dealt with an on-again-off-again battle with insomnia for the past nine months. Oh, and I am constantly cranky.” Then I think: Please please please please do not stay in there for three more weeks. 

What can I say? Pregnancy makes me temperamental.  
I can say though, there there have been some really fun things going on around here lately in preparation for you. 

First of all, we moved into a new house. Our very own forever home, complete with a lovely backyard and an entire room dedicated to laundry. While your arrival wasn’t the sole reason for our purchase, you definitely helped speed the process up. Your father has been tirelessly painting your room a beautiful lavender and pale pink color, installing closet shelves and sliding baskets, and putting together your crib. We’ve been finishing the unpacking, tidying the house and (my favorite) organizing. I’ve washed your diapers, set them in your dresser and am currently sorting and washing the mounds of pink baby clothes ready for you to wear. (I hope you like pink kid, we have a lot of it around here), and filling your bookcase with board books, receiving blankets and handmade burb rags. In an ideal world, I will have a chance to prepare food for the first couple of postpartum weeks so that my time can be spent recovering and snuggling and loving on you and your big sisters. Basically, we are trying to make as much headway as possible before your arrival. Nothing makes your momma feel more prepared for a baby than a clean and organized home, a full fridge and no loose ends to worry about. Or at least as few loose ends as possible to worry about. 

Second, we bought a new car, a minivan to be exact. Now, not only do we now have a safe, reliable form of transportation, but we have room for all three car seats. And as a bonus, we can listen to music from my phone instead of our old scratched CD’s. Plus, the doors automatically open. You might not think it’s so cool right away, but trust me; it is. 

Lastly, besides your father consantly giving you SF Giant updates, your sisters have started reading and talking to you. Your oldest sister, Daisy, has decided to call you Elsa. This is a much improved name after her earlier insistence of naming you Thomas George. (Don't worry, while your father and I  haven't agreed decided upon a name for you, neither of these are in the running.) Daisy has also started narrating our day to you - plus, she is very patient to explain the rules of pretend. She explains the roles, she is Momma and Lily, your middle sister, always plays Daddy. While you, sweet little babe, will get to play the dog. Speaking of Lily, she loves to cover my stomach in kisses and hugs and babbles directly to my belly button. You constantly squirm in response and Lily laughs every time she feels your kicks. I cannot wait to see the shenanigans you three sisters will come up with in a few years.  

In pregnancy news, you are growing perfectly. You are positioned well and have been slowly dropping over the past week. Your sisters and I love listening to your heartbeat each week. They think it sounds like a unicorn. (And I'll be honest, I think they also really like the animal crackers doled out at the start of the appointment and the princess stickers given at the end.)  I am craving hamburgers, sweet corn on the cob, ice water (well, mostly just ice) and big leafy salads. I have always preferred salads to heavy meals, but this pregnancy with a summer due date has been a completely new ball game. Lets just say I eat ice chips like nobody’s business. In fact, my favorite way to end the day is to sit down with a giant mason jar full of partially melted ice. Heaven on earth I tell you. 

I look forward to meeting you, my littlest Rossini. I can’t wait to hold you and snuggle you and memorize your every feature. In the meantime, please do not rush to grow too quickly. There are only three more week of this time together alone. Let’s savor them: you and me. 

Love, 
Momma  

Thursday, July 03, 2014

Summer Days

We've been filling our summer with unpacking, organizing, purging and nesting. It feels productive. We've been filling our summer checking off to-do lists It feels rewarding. We've been filling our summer planting herbs and pulling weeds; our hands buried in dirt. It feels gratifying. We've been filling our summer with cold popsicles and fresh fruit. It feels delicious.
We've been filling our summer with adventure days: exploring local museums and new parks and u-pick orchards. It feels satisfying. We've been filling our summer with swimming lessons and lazy afternoon with friends by the pool. It feels happy. We've been filling our summer with bubbles and bug hunts and chalk drawings scribbled across the back patio and hours spent squishing homemade playdough. It feels relaxing.
We've been filling our summer with library trips, nursery rhymes and lots of poetry. We spent long mornings laying in bed reading book after book after book until our tummies rumble. It feels lazy. We've been filling our summer with friends: talking, laughing and playing together. It feels fun. We've been filling our summer with paint: colors swirling and brushes splotching. Messy hands and masterpieces hanging on the entry way walls. It feels just about perfect.