Blowing kisses

Dear Gracie,

You are now 13 months old, growing so big, and still your sweet tender hearted self. You still breastfeed several times a day, I'm pretty sure you won't be giving it up any time soon which is totally fine with me. I love our snuggle time:). Something new you've learned is how to make kissy noises to get kisses from your daddy and me. Can I just say that it is pretty much the sweetest thing in the entire world?! It seriously melts my heart every single time.

It really started about a month ago when we were playing on the bed. You stopped to nurse for a little bit, you were just sitting there nursing and looking up at me with your big blue eyes when you popped off, stood up and planted a big sloppy baby kiss right on my lips, sat back down, and continued nursing. It was the first time you ever kissed me without me asking for one. It really did bring a tear to my eye.

As a mom, which hopefully one day you'll find out, you first look down at this precious teeny tiny baby that your body has taken care of for nine months, and you love them with all of your heart. From that point on your life changes and pretty much everything you do revolves around that little person. You do everything for them and you'd do anything for them. After months of loving them unconditionally, countless sleepless nights of taking care of them when they won't sleep, cleaning up their spit up, changing thousands of diapers, worrying over them, reading the same book a hundred times to them, rocking them, singing to them, playing with them, and all (most of the time) with a smile on your face, to get an unprompted act of affection and love from them is absolutely mind blowing and heart melting. It is one of the best if not THE best feelings in the whole world, and that's what you gave me. Thank you so much my sweet girl!

Since then you have been the kissiest little thing ever and it is SO cute! You constantly blow kisses to me and your daddy and even to Noah. But my favorite thing is that when nursing you, you'll pull away from my breast and look up at me to blow me kisses, and you don't stop until I bend down and kiss you back, and that's when you get the biggest sweetest smile on your face! This usually happens every couple of minutes every time you nurse, it really is one of the best parts of my day.

Thank you for being my sweet kissy little girl Gracie, I can't wait for you to experience this for yourself!

This is the sweet little face I get to look and and cuddle with every day. ::kiss kiss::

Twirling, waving, and clapping

Dear Gracie,

Here is a video I took of you today twirling in your jumper and waving and clapping your hands. I LOVE it when you stop to watch your hand as you wave to yourself:). You're also saying your favorite "word" gah. You say "Gaaaaahhhhhhh! Ah gah gah gah gaaaaah!"  all the time. I think you just like the way it feels to say the G sound:). I love you sweetie, you are my precious girl!

Grace the waving clapping twirler!

(please excuse the messy house, we're busy having fun:))

Taken 1/12/2012

Love,
Mama

Fun at the mall playground.

Dear Gracie,

We had been cooped up in the house recently, so today your daddy and I decided to take you and Noah to the mall playground so that Noah could run around, let some energy out, and play with kids his age. It's chilly outside so we figured indoors would be the best place to go. There were lots of kids running around and climbing all over the squishy play equipment, Noah was a little timid about joining in at first, but soon worked up enough courage to join the other kids. I held you in my lap while we watched Noah play, you were looking with such eagerness at the colorful play equipment and the kids running around, so I put you down and you immediately crawled over to a slide in the shape of a boat and tried to climb up the wrong way! You had socks on you feet so you couldn't get a good grip at first, but as soon as I took your socks off, you made it half way up the small slide before sliding back down. Your favorite thing was a short green tunnel, you thought it was super fun and exciting to crawl inside, back and forth peeking out at me and Noah. Another little boy, about two years old I'd say, wanted to play in the tunnel too, and since you were in his way, he started growling at you hoping you'd move! He growled and growled and growled, you pretty much ignored him until he got in your face and growled really loud which made you cry, it was so hilarious though I couldn't be upset at him! After you calmed down a little, I set you back down and you crawled over to a squishy "wooden" post, used it to pull yourself up and held on with one hand while trying to walk away, Your dad and I thought you were going to take your first steps by yourself right there in the mall! But you quickly realized that taking a step would mean letting go, and that was no bueno to you, so you plopped back down on your bottom. Your attention was soon caught by a nice lady sitting a few yards away, she waved at you, and you reached up at her and waved at her with both hands! It was SOOO cute, everyone around was laughing and your daddy and I were beaming with pride at how adorable and friendly you are.

After about an hour, I could tell you were getting hungry, so we made our way up to the food court to get some lunch, Daddy, Noah and I ate pizza and you had some meatballs with marinara which you thought was very yummy. You munched on pieces of meatball, Noah hate his pizza "like a lion", both of you danced in your chairs to LMFAO Rock Anthem which was playing rather loudly, and Daddy and I had the best time watching you two.

You and Noah are napping right now while I have some Mommy alone time. I hope you had as much fun playing today as I did watching you! I love you my sweet girl!

Love,
Mama

Dear Gracie

Dear Gracie,

I will be writing to you every few days so that we can look back and remember little daily cute things and more memorable milestones about you. I hope that one day when you read these, you'll know just how much your daddy and I love you.

Right now you are a little over 11 months old, I cannot believe that almost a year has gone by since the day you were born, this year has been incredibly wonderful and hard since you and your big brother are so close in age. Noah was not even 18 months old when you were born. It took him three days to warm up to you, but ever since then, you have been the first thing he asks for when he wakes up in the morning. He loves you so much!

You have four teeth so far, the top two have just recently come in, they're a little gapped so your smile looks absolutely adorable (your daddy always says, "there's just something about her smile, it's soooo pretty!")! You are big for your age, ever since you were about 3 months old, you have been in the 75%-95% for weight and height, just like your brother.

You have just started clapping and waving (you wave backwards to your self:)), you crawl all over the place, pull to standing, and "cruise" along the furniture. Noah waited until 15 months old to walk, I'm wondering if you'll take after him.

Your favorite foods are beans, "taco rice" (taco meat, rice, beans, guacamole, lettuce, and tomato all mixed together), crackers, cheerios, and breast milk. You are still nursing any chance you can get, I thought you were trying to wean yourself about a month ago, but it turns out you were just teething.

When I first found out I was pregnant with you, I was so afraid that I couldn't love any baby as much as I love your brother, but the moment you were born, when I held you for the first time and first heard your sweet soft cry, I knew that my fears were unfounded. It felt like my heart actually grew more capacity to love, it suddenly grew bigger and you filled that extra space. I love you SO much, Every. Single. Bit. as much as I love Noah. There will be times when I need to spend a little extra time with your brother, or show him a little extra attention and affection, but I pray that you know in your heart it's not because I love him more, but it's because at that moment, he needs me. I will do the same for you too, I promise.

I love you my sweet baby girl!

Love,
Mama