Dear Lemon

Dear Lemon,

You are so wiggly!  Your newest "thing" is going from sitting to all fours so every time we put you down you almost always end up on your belly.  Trying to feed you is absolutely ridiculous and it's like mommy gymnastics trying to get you to calm down and sit still.  Daddy doesn't help because every time he comes in the room you have to turn your head and look, always smiling at your daddy.  At night, that's mommy and baby time, and I love it when you fall asleep in my arms. 

You are such a happy girl and everyone says it to me, all the time.  Even when you're tired you appear happy so no one puts you down for naps!  All day long you don't cry, you only cry when it's time for bed, or when you wake up in the middle of the night.  Your daddy calls you a party animal and everyone agrees - you just want to be up and don't want to miss anything.  You love people, smiling and talking to everyone, everywhere we go; but you definitely love me, your daddy and your Nani the most. Today when your Nani came over to watch you, you had the biggest smile on your face, it was so cute.  Your Nani loves you so much and we are so lucky to have her around, I don't know what I'd do without her!

You are such a silly girl all the time and mommy kind of wishes you were more cuddly.  There is just so much to explore and look at, you hate sitting still.  You love the dogs, jumping in your doorway jumper, playing with your dinosaur that pops up balls, touching every toy in your exersaucer, climbing on mommy and daddy, and sitting in your high chair and eating anything chunky - peaches, avacados, bananas, sweet potatoes, puffs and oranges.  Oranges are definitely your food of choice because you love grabbing them and sucking the juice out.  Eating dinner has become so much fun because we can, finally, all sit down and eat together!

I wish I could kiss you more without you wiggling away.  I wish I could remember what it was like to have a newborn who just laid there and think now that maybe I should have kissed and cuddled you more while you'd let me.  I should have laid with you more, napped with you more and snuggled you more because now if we try to lay with you, you just wriggle away.  In the morning and at night you are most snuggly and that's my favorite time, but even then I have to steal kisses because you find something that catches your attention and want to just wiggle away again.  Crawling is so close but I am dreading it because then you will just be able to get away from me faster!  I was telling daddy last night that our nightly walks are becoming my favorite because you are strapped to my chest and have no choice but to let me squeeze and kiss you.

Time is going by way too fast miss Lemon and my heart is heavy.  I just can't believe you will be on the move soon and are so independent.  We helped you to become this way - letting you put yourself to sleep, putting food in front of you to grab and feed yourself, leaving you to go to work every day - and I am so proud of the little lady you are becoming.  But, it is all happening to fast and I kind of wish you relied on us a little bit more, needed us a little bit more.  Isn't just the paradox of becoming a mother?  First your baby needs everything from you, so much that you kind of lose who you are because you just give, give, give to your baby.  Then, your baby becomes more independent and you long for the days she used to need you.  I bet this feeling never ends, we are constantly teaching you independence but really just want to snuggle, cuddle, kiss and hold you.

When I look at your face I am so happy, I still can't believe you are here with us.  Sometimes your daddy and I look at each other and say, "Can you believe this is our life?  Did you ever think this would happen?"  We are so incredibly lucky and blessed to have such a personable, happy, cute and energetic baby who loves everyone she meets.  Thank you Lemon for brightening our lives, I don't remember life without you.  I love you more than words and as I sit here, writing this at work, I miss you.  Seeing you when we get home is the best part of my day.

Love, 

Mommy