Dearest Baby Girl
The most wonderful
thing happened. It was you. You came into our lives and brightened our day. I
had such a hard time in the beginning. I thought I should know everything about
you inside and out from the moment I saw you.
I thought that I should know your every need, want and thought. But the
reality of it was...Mommy didn't have a clue. I thought I would have that
feeling of "the most beautiful creature is here. I have never loved
anything more than this beautiful little girl" I loved you of course. But
mommy was in a fog. It was a long time
before I did have that feeling of absolute wonder that was you.
But I realized
that we just needed to spend time together. So we brought you home. We
introduced you to your best friend for life, Sadie. You two were instant best
friends, but perhaps that is because Sadie loved sleeping on my belly keeping
you warm.
The first couple of months was a sleepless blur. Mommy kept trying to
do too much, keep a house clean, grocery shop, take care of your brother, I
forgot to eat, sleep, and take care of me. A wise and dear friend gave me the
best advice. She told me to stop it. She told me to spend a whole day in bed
with you, doing nothing but having cuddles and naps. So that is what we did.
And it was probably then that I fell in love with you and all that you are. I
was your momma, and you were my sweet baby girl.
I knew it would be hard, and
that we would have tough times, but you knew that I would always be there for
you. The first 9 months you needed to always be attached to me, these next 9
months you need to always see me. And the next 9 months after this, you need to
know you can always find me.
This last year has had so many neat things happen. Daddy and I made so many
decisions for you that we knew were the best thing for you. Every decision we
made was with you in the foremost of our thought. We decided to cloth diaper
you. I love your fluffy bum scooting around, I love that you never got bum
rashes because of the soft material you sit in. We decided to breast feed you
exclusively. I loved those moments. I will be sad when we stop breastfeeding,
they are our special moments where I can play with your hair, and touch your
soft skin and feel your hand on my chest.
We chose to potty you from a month
old! You and i jumped and danced around the first time I caught your first pee.
What a fun moment that was. And the first time Daddy caught his. So neat. I
love that we know your needs like we know our own. What a special connection we
started there.
We fed you what we ate from 6 months old. No need for baby food.
You were Natalie, you knew what you were doing and what you liked!!
And with
that came sign language. You needed an easier way to tell us what you needed.
So we gave you another way. I loved that you could specifically tell us what
you want at such a young age. All of
these decisions were thought through meticulously, and were done with love. We
had many problems with people accepting our decisions. But at the end of the
day, you lived here. With us. So we made the decision. And I think mommy and
daddy made the right one. And you had no complaints either! ;)
You made many decisions too. Like being the best at giving hugs and kisses.
Knowing when you were going to crawl. Knowing what you loved to eat and what
you did not. We gave you choices about everything. What to wear, what to eat,
when to potty or not. You truly were too smart for your own good. Especially
when it got quiet... Mommy and Daddy knew to find Sadies food as you were
probably in there!
This year truly went by too fast.
You are one year old. How did that happen? From me trying to figure out
who you are, to being hardly able to keep up with you. Mommy and Daddy have so
many dreams and hopes for you. We are so lucky to have you in our lives. And
that you picked us to be your parents. You are becoming the funniest, most
caring, most adorable little girl we know. We cannot wait to see what the
future holds for you and how many adventures we will go on! Mommy and Daddy
love you so much duber doo.
xoxo
