A Letter to My Child(ren)

When I found out I was pregnant with Gavin, I started writing to him in a journal.  I wrote to him about once and month, updating him on his latest accomplishments, world happenings, etc.  I still love to look back on it and see how he's changed, and even how I've changed as a parent.  I hope one day he will, too.  Now that we've got another little one coming, I thought two journals would be a little much, so I thought I'd write to both of them once a month in a letter series here instead.  Here's the first letter:

Gavin,

Every time I write to you lately I’m saying “when did you get SO big?!”  But it’s just the nature of your age right now, I think.  You’re growing so fast that I don’t think I can even capture it all from month to month.

Your language has exploded even more.  We have full conversations now with back and forth banter and giggles (p.s. I love that you have my sense of humor).  You’re even “reading” your favorite books to us.  Almost every day on the way to school you bring Eight Silly Monkeys or one of your mini nursery rhyme books and recite it to me in the car.  I hope your love for language now extends into a love a reading later.  Your word nerd Momma has her fingers crossed.

You tell us all the time “I a big boy!” and “I do it by myself!” and show us you can do just that with little things like swinging on your tummy in our backyard, kicking at the ground beneath you to propel yourself  “super high.”  You’re growing less cautious (which makes me worry!) when it comes to climbing and jumping.  The first time I saw you scale your swingset’s six-foot rock wall by yourself, I thought I was going to have a heart attack.  But you turned around with a huge smile and said, “I did it, Mommy!”

You haven’t lost your sweetness, and I’m hoping that’s stuck on your for life.  If a character is sad on TV, you blow them a kiss.  When I lost it one day because Abner is getting old and tripped over his water bowl for the second time in an hour, spilling water all over the kitchen, you came and sat with me as I mopped up the floor and said, “It okay, Mommy.  I here.”  You gave me kisses and hugs and said, “Now you feel better?”  Almost every night at dinner, you say “Thanks for cooking dinner” to whomever placed dinner in front of you that night, even if it was just our favorite take-out.  You’re so polite, and I love that about you.

You’ve also had two pretty big milestones this month.  We took the front of your crib off to make it into a “big boy bed” for you and you’ve done great.  Only once did you get out of your crib before we told you it was okay.  Now you wait for us to come get you every morning.  And just last night, in your own words:  “I poopie in the potty!”  You were so excited and proud of yourself, and so were we.  We’re going to start some real potty training in the next couple of weeks—you’re very interested, and want to be just like your friends at school, so I think the time is right.

That’s it for this month.  But that was a lot!  I’m so proud of the big boy you’re turning out to be, and I can’t wait to see what you’ve got up your sleeve next.

I love you more,

Mommy

Baby,

I finally felt you kick this month, and it's made things so much more real.  I'm already almost halfway to meeting you, and I couldn't be more excited.  

Tomorrow is THE sonogram.  The one where we'll get to see you moving, your little heart beating, and find out whether you're a boy or a girl.  We're hoping you cooperate and show us the goods.  I can't wait to talk about names for you and figure out how we're decorating your room.  We've been waiting to do any of that until we know.  Maybe I'll drink a bottle of orange juice.  That seemed to work to get Gavin moving, so we'll see how it works for you.

The books all say you're the size of a bell pepper now, and it still amazes me that we'll be able to see so much detail, even at that size.  Keep growing and moving, little bean.  I can't wait to see you tomorrow!

I love you more,

Mommy