A Little News

Little!


You are 17 months at this moment, and you are sitting next to me on the couch in our little apartment begging me to watch you favorite show "DABBA!" or "Yo Gabba Gabba" in adult language. It is 7am here. You decided to wake up at 6, which I guess is okay. So we are just having some Mommy-Madelyn time before Daddy wakes up.

What should I catch you up on?

Well, you are speaking so very well for your age. Some of your words include: please, thank you, night   night, more, outside, kitty, dog, snack, treat, water, yo gabba gabba, shoes, socks, hot, diaper, butt-paste (it's like a diaper rash cream), cheese, keys, blocks, bye bye, hair, nose, Mimi, Papi, and of course Mama and Dada. I'm sure you know more words, but that is all I can think of right now. It's still too early for me to be thinking!

You love shoes. LOVE shoes. You love Ingrid, our kitty. You still dance on-call. It's pretty hilarious. And overall you are such a dang sweet little girl. You always say please ("peas") when you want something. You grab my hand and pull me where you want to go saying, "peas! peas!" all the way. So cute.

What else?

Mimi and Papi took you and me to our favorite beach last week. Dad couldn't go because he had to work. While we missed your dad, you had so much fun. You are finally old enough to appreciate the beach. You would constantly bring Mimi your bucket and tell her to go get you some water. You like being the boss. (I do, too :) ) We also tried Paddleboarding for the first time. Well, I did. You are still a little small, but you liked sitting on the Paddleboard while Mimi, Papi, or I let the waves crash onto you.  You are quite the beach baby. So cute.

One big piece of news I suppose I should catch you up on: You are going to have a little brother or sister soon! Mommy is 3 months pregnant. Pretty crazy stuff! I am very excited, but I am very nervous to have another baby because I don't want you, my precious Little, to feel neglected. You and I are used to spending all of our time together. We do everything together. I know that another little one will just add to the fun and love in our life, but it is still scary since we have never had two kids!

My advice for the day: Cherish your sibling. In life, you will, of course, always have your father and I and you can tell us anything, but sibling love is something special on its own. Since you will be so close in age, you guys can understand what each other is going through sometimes better than your old Mommy and Daddy. We don't always mean to be old and clueless, but sometimes we will be.

Also, since you will be the older sibling, it is your responsibility to help your younger brother or sister in life. Being an older sister is a tremendous joy. I know because I am your Uncle B's big sister. Sometimes it gets difficult because you want to be his or her friend, but you know that he or she is doing something stupid and you should probably try to prevent it. You can't be the boss of your sibling, but hopefully you guys will be so close that you will be able to talk openly and lovingly about serious, and sometimes even awkward topics.

As our family grows, you have more people to love and help you through life. So, I hope you are excited, too. You will love having a sibling. Okay... sometimes you will hate it. You will fight like angry demons, but even so, you will end up with a friend who knows you better than anyone. It's totally worth the silly fights and pestering that siblings cause sometimes.

Ok. This post is long and, I fear, boring. I'm distracted by Yo Gabba Gabba and by my own exhaustion. Oh well. I love you love you love you. You will be an amazing big sister because you are already an amazing, loving little girl.

Here are some pictures! YEAH!

Love always,

Your Mommy

Girly Girl

This is how dang cute you are at 15 months old. Mimi likes to buy you pink things. You love purses and shoes. "Shoes" was one of your first words, and you now know how to put them on. You are definitely a girly girl. For now, at least. I love it! I love you no matter what kind of girl you are, though!

Oh yeah. Beach stuff.

OH yeah. We went to the beach last week. You loved it. LOVED it. You ate a lot of sand, which was awkward but cute. 

Whatever you are, be a good one.

Hey Little,
  So you are almost 13 months old. You are at one of the cutest moments in your life, so far. You laugh and talk (your own little language, that is) and point and dance and walk and fall all the time. You constantly move and make your presence known, and I would not have it any other way. It's so entertaining.

I have something on my mind, and this is it: When you grow up, I want you to be smart. It's important to be impulsive sometimes and fun sometimes and goofy sometimes and even a little ridiculous sometimes, but it is VERY important to be smart. What kind of smart? I'm talking smart with your life plans. I'm not telling you that you have to have this huge elaborate life plan that involves you making tons of money. I'm just saying that it is very important for you to have your own life and your own money and your own passions and your own beliefs that do not depend on another person. I am at a point in my life where I do not have stable income without your father. Luckily, I love your father so I'm not worried about losing him or his financial support. I still wish, though, just for my own sense of self-worth that I had my own career and my own money (that I would share with your father, as he shares with me, of course). I believe a woman should be able to support herself, even if she is married, in case something were to happen to her husband or if something happened in her marriage. Women should be just as self-reliant as men. We are just as smart. Just as hardworking. And we deserve to experience the fulfillment that comes from being self-sustaining. I just hope that you will be smarter than I was and be financially stable before starting a family. While being your mother is by far the most rewarding thing I have ever done, I sometimes wish I could give you more. I want to be a great mother and great role model, and to be a great role model I feel I need to lead by example. I want you to be successful (in whatever path you choose) and I believe you need to see a woman doing her own thing and being the best at it. Your Mimi is a great example of that, but even she got started in family life a little too soon and it's taken her longer than I want it to take you to find your career path.

Basically, I'm saying I want you to be a Bad-A B ("bad-ass bitch") and not depend on a man. And I hope you find a man when you are ready who will, like your father, be willing to work ridiculously hard to give you the life you want. I just hope you won't need a man. Is that making any sense?

Ok. I should go.

I love you. So much.

Be strong.
Be the best you can be.

Love,
Mommy

A little wisdom

Sometimes it's better to listen than talk. That's a hard one for me.

You are 1!

Mini Me

Mommy and Daddy

Sweet matching overalls

Food!

Well we had a fantastic little hoe-down for your birthday. So many people came to celebrate, and you entertained them all like the little charmer you are! You are extremely talkative, goofy, and not to mention sassy. Lordy, are you sassy. 

What else about you? Hmmmm.... you dance ALL the time. You talk ALL the time. You LOVE dogs. You are very stubborn and do things all in your own time. OH! You are walking (sorta...) You choose when you can and can't walk. You are very sweet and loving. You don't care much for strangers, though. Which is a good thing.  In this world, it is not good to be too suspicious and wary, but it is smart to always be aware that not everyone in this world has the best intentions. So trust your family. Trust yourself. Be kind to all, but don't be too trusting of those who you don't really know. I have seen that there are far too many desperate people on this planet who, though they may not be bad at heart, will harm anyone to get what they want or need. 

So for the downer! That is not delightful birthday talk! I just thought about that, though, and I do think it is important. I want you to be safe always! AHHH being a mother is scary business!

Anyway... back to Birthday Land. I am so ridiculously happy to have you. Before you, I thought I knew everything. I thought I knew what was important. I thought I knew what I wanted. But I was so stupid. I knew nothing until I saw your face. You make everything clearer. Thank you for a great year. I look forward to a lifetime more.

Here is some more annoying (but good) advice: Life can be serious business. You can't avoid the "to-do" lists of life, but you can put a little adventure in your life to keep things light. Accept the hard work of life because it makes you strong and makes you feel like you have earned your happiness. Make sure you take some time-outs though, even during the really busy, hectic and heinous times to enjoy being alive. That's the point of life! 

You are so young with so much happiness and adventure left in you. I wish I knew when I was a child and even when I was in college how fondly I would remember those times. I would have appreciated them more. Appreciate every happy moment in your life. It will get you through the tough ones along the way.

Ok enough of that! I love you, Little (that's what I call you... I hope that's ok :)

Love you always,

Mommy

And this is what we do when mom gets bored...

You are a few days shy of 11 months old here, which is only a month shy of a year. That is something I cannot handle so I'm choosing not to believe it.

As much as it freaks my beak (yes... I know that's a lame expression. Accept it. I'm your mother) that time passes so quickly, I do love your little 11 month old personality. You get more sassy and funny and cute and sweet every day.


I love you so much.

-Mom