two years

March 12, 2009

To my beautiful daughter,

You are so precious to me, I can't put it into words. You've grown into such an amazing little person, I love seeing your likes and dislikes and hearing your wants and dreams. You tell me when you're happy and when you're sad and I treasure these glimpses into your heart. You are sensitive and sweet, caring and thoughtful, unlike any 2 year old I've ever met in my life...I might be a tad biased, but not enough to imagine that without reason!


For your second birthday we had a party at Kangazoom. You had a great time! You knew the day was all about you. You partied until you couldn't party any more, and now you're asleep upstairs recharging for an afternoon of more fun. All of your friends came to celebrate with you, and you were thrilled to see your two best friends from Suzuki, Emory and Bailey. You happily climbed all of huge slides and flew down by yourself...as we always say, "she has NO fear!" You're confident and secure in who you are - I hope you never lose that quality.

You enjoying the bounce area at your party.

You and your best friend, Emory, at the party.

Tinkerbell cupcake cake - you liked it, by the way!

This spring you've also been working on planting your first garden. You and Daddy went to Home Depot and bought seeds and greenhouse seed starters. You planted them when it was still cold outside and now that it's getting warmer it was time to plant. Daddy put together some planter boxes for a raised garden and you painted them - Daddy and I think they're beautiful!

Then it was time to plant. Mommy got you a gardening set for your birthday and you opened it early so you could wear your new gloves and glasses, and use your shovel and rake for planting. Daddy got you a gardening hat...you're ridiculously cute! You loved raking the dirt, planting the seeds, and watering in your garden.



Other news? Your little sister, Alessandra Taylor, is about to join our family. You have been so sweet to Mommy and seem excited to meet your sister, kissing my belly and telling her you love her. I'm sure the two of you will share many years of giggles and late-night chats in the years to come. I only hope Daddy and I can keep up with the two of you!

I love you - your button nose, your eyes, your ears, your knees, your toes. I love you up to the sky, past the moon and stars so high. If you feel alone and scared, always know that I'll be there. Just like one and one make two, you love me and I love you!
~ Mommy

eighteen months

September 12, 2008

Dear Munchkin Moo,

Well, it's been six months since your first birthday and you've continued to amaze us with your many talents.

Another holiday came right after your first birthday, and although it wasn't your first Easter, it was the first Easter that you really got to celebrate. We went to our neighborhood egg hunt and you had a great time collecting eggs and eating the treats inside them.






Just a few days later you got to do another easter egg hunt at home. You had a great time walking around looking for eggs, but you were in no hurry to find another one until you had finished eating what you had already found.



I got to spend the summer with you while I was out of school and we had SO much fun! I loved spending all day, every day with you. We swam, we fed the ducks at the pond, we ran and played all day long. We played with Joseph and Andrew across the street and their nanny, Jodie. We played in the cul-de-sac with James, Matthew, Riley, Quentin, and Siena and you learned to ride a car, bus, and your new bike (although you don't quite understand what the pedals are for yet).




One of you favorite things to do this summer was play with your water table. The first picture was your first experience with it, but you soon became an old pro, and Daddy and I took embarrassing topless pictures of you because we were too lazy to change you into your bathing suit half the time!





You learned to cook and bake a lot this summer, and we made brownies for Daddy for Father's Day. He loved them!


You enjoyed the foods of summer, from chocolate pudding to picking blueberries with Daddy every night before bed, to eating watermelon on the patio. We had so much fun watching you try new foods.




You learned to play dress-up and would try on all kinds of clothes, and I capitalized on that by dressing you up like a cow to get free food at Chic-fil-a. You liked the fruit the best, but don't worry, I ate the rest of your lunch for you. Daddy went to the Masters and brought us back matching shirts so we could play dress-up together.






Well, I saved the best for last. Your summer would not have been complete without the two activities that filled the majority of your days...swimming and going to the playground. You loved both of those things, and we loved watching you have fun doing them. Daddy would ask if you wanted to go swimming and the answer was always the same, "yes!"

one year

March 12, 2008

Sweet Angel,



Your first birthday! Wow, how time has flown. I can't believe you're now a walking toddler who eats real food and even tried your first cupcake. We had a party for you and drank margaritas and ate mexican food in your honor. Lots of friends came and brought you presents - you especially liked the singing birthday balloon from your friend Charlotte. Here you are enjoying the attention on your big day...



We are happy to be a family of three!


When it was time for cake we changed into your ballerina tutu so that you could dig in. I made you the sad looking cupcake tower rather than buying something at the store because I wanted it to be really special. It didn't turn out quite the way I wanted it to, but it was made with love and that's all that really matters. At least that's what bad bakers are supposed to say!




When it came time to eat the cupcakes I wasn't sure what you'd think, and you weren't so sure at first either, but then you decide that sugar was good...really, really good.


As the festivities were winding down, you and Daddy decided to take a walk together. This is one of my favorite pictures and moments really of the whole first year.


Daddy and I are so blessed to have you in our lives, we call you our sweet angel and we love how you've made us a little family. We can't wait to see what the next year will bring...we can't wait to run and jump and climb with you. We can't wait to see you grow and learn over the next year. We are so in love.


I feel like I blinked and a year went by. I can't believe my baby is one. The tiny baby I held in my arms as you took your first breaths in this world. The baby I rocked to sleep so many nights and held my breath as I laid you down in your crib, just praying you'd stay asleep. The baby I hoped for, prayed for, and dreamed of is no longer a little baby.

I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, As long as I'm living my baby you'll be.

~ Mommy

eleven months

February 12, 2008



Gianna Marie,

As I sit here typing and you're tucked in your crib upstairs, sleeping soundly, I can't help but realize that one month from today you'll be turning ONE! You will soon officially leave babyhood and begin your career as a toddler. It's amazing how fast the time has flown, it seems like just yesterday you were a helpless tiny little infant, and now you eat mac and cheese with us at dinner. I'm so torn about all of this - I want to remember every moment of your infancy and I'm sad that we're leaving that phase behind, but at the same time, I'm so excited about all the great times to come as you grow bigger and bigger.

Just before you turned eleven months you decided to have your first really high fever. You've had fevers before with ear infections and such, but they were never really high. This time it was just downright scary. You were over 102 several times, but when you hit 103, Daddy and I were terrified. We'd never seen you act so tired and sad all the time and we didn't like it one bit. Of course, as Murphy's Law would have it, I took you to the doctor the day you had a temperature of 103 and by the time we got there it was down to 99 - and never went back up! You also broke out in a rash as soon as the fever disappeared, so we knew Roseola was the culprit...glad we got that one over with!



Another big event this month, especially in Atlanta, was your first snowfall. You and Daddy had fun checking it out!





The weekend before you got sick Daddy went to the Super Bowl. The Giants played the Patriots and won in amazing fashion in the last minutes of the game. Very exciting! Daddy had a good time shopping and getting autographs of football players for you - I think he enjoyed the game, too!

Also the weekend before you got sick you began taking 6-7 steps at a time all by yourself. You've refused to do it since, being sick and wobbly and falling several times can do that to you. I'm sure you'll be working on that skill again soon, just today you took a couple of steps by yourself and began walking with your push toys again. I can't believe my little baby girl is about to be a "toddler." In honor of this new skill, we took our first trip to StrideRite and got you a real pair of shoes...yes, Daddy dressed you that day!



You're so much fun to be around, I love every minute I spend with you. You never cease to amaze me.
~ Mommy

ten months

January 12, 2008



Munchkin Girl,
You are EVERYWHERE! You can get into everything now - there's no stopping you, and you love every minute of it. You crawl somewhere, pull up to stand, then get down and crawl somewhere else..repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat...you get the picture. All this movement has inspired the new nickname of "Munchkin Girl" and you certainly deserve it.

January 11, 2008 (which just happened to be Mommy's birthday) is a day that will live in infamy as the day of Gianna Marie's first step. Can you believe it? You're on your way to the walking world. Even though you're a big almost-walking girl now, you still love when Daddy gets on his hands and knees and crawls after you. You fly across the floor, glancing backwards occasionally to see how far in the dust you're leaving him, giggle uncontrollably, then crawl with all your might until he catches up and "tackles" you. I guess you've realized that crawling really isn't all that bad...as long as you're being chased, that is...or if you're chasing after one of your furry best friends.



Cats. Now there's a topic of the month. You love them. They try really hard to love you. Actually, Holly loves you so much that it's kind of sad. No amount of tackling to the ground, zerberting, slobbering, or tail grabbing will keep her from coming back for more. She adores you. It probably doesn't hurt that we keep telling her about all the treats you'll give her when you're old enough to open the treat jar for her. So, don't forget - you owe her BIG TIME! Oh, and Blueberry wants me to tell you that even though she doesn't allow you to abuse her on a regular basis, she has refrained from biting, scratching, and hissing, and that deserves a reward, too.



You're ten months old now and you can do so many things. You are truly amazing. Daddy and I can't get over how advanced you are - at least in our eyes. The one thing you don't do that I see other kids your age doing is bottle-feed yourself. Don't get me wrong, you definitely CAN, you sometimes will, but mostly you choose not to. I think you're trying to tell us that if we're going to go to all the trouble to buy it and prepare it for you we may as well serve it to you while we're at it. It's only polite. This very fact shows how much personality you have, and you seem to get more of it every day.



I almost forgot - the holiday of the month - it was a big one, Christmas! Santa brought you lots of toys, you were definitely on the "nice" list. You had so much fun, and you weren't nearly as obsessed with the wrapping paper as we thought you'd be. You love your new toys and are already looking forward to the next big holiday, your first birthday. Can you believe it's almsot here already? I don't know who's most excited about it - you, me, Daddy, or Blueberry (she heard birthday cake is served with ice cream, her favorite treat).



Over the last couple of weeks, you have accomplished numerous physical feats and began teething (again!) with your first molars. All of these developments meant that sleeping was not on your to-do list. You suddenly decided that 5:30 am was a good time to begin the day, and that you must wake once a night, screaming bloody murder, until I came in to stand by your crib before you could drift back to sleep. Well, those days have passed and you're back to normal sleep patterns. And while I should be happy and well-rested, I'm not. I spend the night and early morning listening for your cries. I thought at first that it was worry that was costing me sleep, but it's not. It's just that I miss you. I miss going into your room in the middle of the night and watching your whole body relax and your little eyes close, content in the knowledge that all was right with the world. I miss stumbling in so early in the morning, tired and miserable, then seeing you standing up in your crib with a huge smile on your face, instantly brightening my day.



You are my sunshine. My world is a brighter place because of you.
~ Mommy

nine months

December 12, 2007



Little Angel Girl,

Since we're in the time of year when every month's a holiday, this one was your first Thanksgiving. You had turkey and sweet potatoes for dinner - although they were the pureed kind - but you still loved it. I gave you some of my famous, or should I say Paula Deen's famous, crunch top apple pie and you thought it was fantastic...luckily you're easy to please when it comes to food right now! Let's hope that continues...

In honor of your first Thanksgiving, and in case it isn't ridiculously obvious...I'm so thankful for you. Here, I'll be more specific:

I'm thankful for the way you wake up from naps, happy and singing for me to come get you. Your face lights up and you giggle like a pillsbury dough boy when you see my face peek over the top of the crib.


I'm thankful for your cute little feet, so tiny and petite I hardly ever have to buy shoes for you because your feet barely grow. Such thrifty feet you have. And such amazingly adorable toes and feet. I'm in awe, and not just because I have ugly ones.



I'm thankful for every smile you make. Basically, I'm happy you're happy. I try so hard to be the best mom I can for you, and when I see you beaming and giggling and squealing with delight it really makes me feel like I'm doing ok so far. You're thriving and beautiful and cheery. Being your mama has become so fulfilling and rewarding, and really just so unbelievably fun.


I'm thankful for your kicky little legs. I miss them kicking my belly. I miss having you with me every second, all snug and safe in my belly. I will always cherish those special moments we had in the evenings, laying in bed with my hands on my belly feeling you move around. It was such an amazing experience. Now I look at your little kicky legs becoming steady and learning to stand and I'm so proud of all the things you are learning to do, and I'm so thankful that you are healthy enough and smart enough to do them.

Your favorite game this month is, "Where's Daddy?" Daddy loves hiding behind a pillow or blanket and waiting for you to pull it away to find him. Even more fun is when you're in your walker and Daddy's down the hallway in another room and you go flying down the hallway as fast as your little chubby legs can go to get to him, laughing all the way. You dream of walking, I can see it in your little eyes. You look forward to getting in your walker and exploring the house, "bulldozing" the cat dishes, banging on the fridge, and trying to see how many kitchen cabinets you can leave open at once.



You have now decided to crawl on all fours, although you still drop to your belly and army crawl as soon as you hit a hardwood floor instead of nice soft carpet. You're actually a pretty good crawler, but most people wouldn't know it, because your favorite thing to do is crawl over to something that you can pull up on to stand. Then you bounce up and down and squeal with delight. Walking is overrated, I tell you, but you ignore my sage advice and keep on trying to perfect your skills. To me, walking means the end of your baby phase and the beginning of independence; to you, walking means fun and freedom. You don't know that it breaks my heart to see you doing things without me, needing me less and less every day, you're just trying to grow up the best way you know how.


Today I sang a very enthusiastic Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree to you at least 4 times and I did some sort of weird cheer when you didn't bite the spoon with every bite while you were eating dinner. I'm telling you... we are getting dangerously close to me wearing a tigger sweatshirt, keds, eating fruit loops for dinner and insisting that rhyming is super neato. Ugh. In all seriousness, you are changing me in ways I never thought possible, and always for the better. I'm a better person because of you - an amazing accomplishment in just 9 short months!
~ Mommy