Letter to my Lucky Penny: Four Months

Dear Violet,

 

This past Tuesday marked your four-month birthday. You are a mere 24 inches long and slightly over 12.5 pounds, my little peanut. I cannot believe how fast time has flown with you in our family. It feels very much as though you were brand-new and then we blinked and bam! We have a baby who coos, rolls over and fills the room with hearty laughs and high-pitched squeals.

Amazing. Absolutely amazing.

We went to see Santa earlier this week. You pulled on his beard to make sure it was real. 

Parenting has stretched me and expanded my heart in ways I never thought possible. Sometimes I get overwhelmed with the diaper laundry and the pre-school drop-offs, but the best part of parenting for the third time is that I finally understand just how quickly time moves and how precious each moment is. Yes, the kitchen sink is often piled with dirty dishes and our house often has various laundry piles scattered across the house, but none of that matters when I lay your head upon my chest and feel your heartbeat against mine. Sometimes I look around and try to memorize these small, seemingly unimportant, everyday moments: the giggles during your diaper changes, the milk drunk smiles, getting my favorite onesie to fit you just one more time. These are the moments I never think to document because they are the mundane, but this third time around I am making every effort to remember because I know these are the moments I will miss the most when they finish fluttering by.

On a happier note, one of the really cool parts of parenting is witnessing how different and similar your personality is from your sisters. You love playing in your bouncer like your sisters did, laughing and gurgling at the swinging red, plastic mushroom.  You refuse to take a bottle like Lily did, but sleep consistently through the night like Daisy did. Like Lily, you HATE the Ergo, but similar to Daisy to love to snuggle in the Moby. You seem a bit more reserved like Daisy, but have the strength like Lily. Like your sisters, you watched the Giants win the World Series the year you were born. Like your sisters you love bathtime. Unlike your sisters, you suck your thumb.

 You have never once had to endure tummy time alone. You always have AT LEAST one of your sisters cheering you on. 

One of the things you all do extraordinarily well is interact. Both of your big sisters have been OVER THE MOON enthusiastic about you since before you were born, but their enthusiasm has really taken off since you have begun to smile and laugh. They read you stories. They sing and dance for you. They include you in their continuous make-believe game of pirates and princesses. And you just eat it up. Sometimes in the afternoon, we like to snuggle up and read books together. You love to look at the pictures in our storybooks, but I often catch you watching both Daisy and Lily in awe while you suck your thumb and smile. They don’t have to be doing anything, you’re just happy to hear their voices and see their faces.

Nothing has ever made my heart sing like it has when watching you three together. Sometimes I wonder what sort of sisters you three will be as adults. I hope you will be very close friends.

 On Thanksgiving morning we all snuggled and read stories in Mommy & Daddy's bed.  It was undoubtably my favoite part of the day. 

I love you, Violet, my lucky penny. Violet, my little penguin. Violet, my bright shining star. I love you. I love you more than the stars in the sky and all the water in the ocean.

Love,

Momma