A Letter For You

My sweetest Evelyn,

I don't know what I thought parenthood would be like after the baby stage, I guess I never really thought about the day-to-day of it. Toddlerhood has taken me by storm. I'm following you around picking up books, folding the clothes that have sat folded on the ottoman for a week now, and pulling insane amounts of bits of paper from your fingers and mouth. You can walk now. You took your first steps sometime after the new year. Your uncle Johnny got it on film. You still prefer to crawl, but currently you're covered in chicken pox and I guess it hurts to crawl, so you've been walking a little more the last couple days. 

You haven't had the best luck lately. You have been sick, for one, with RSV, a double ear infection, then strep and now Chicken Pox. You'd think nursing would have built up your immune system, but I suppose not everyone gets so lucky. At least you are getting it over with now and you'll be able to fight it off when you face it all at school.
I have deemed you the Queen of Getting Pinched because by golly, if there's a way to get your finger pinched in something you'll find it! Your finger has fallen victim to a couple chip clips, the grips in the diaper boxes, several drawers (after repeatedly warning you it would happen), the lid to a puffs container, the mill part of a ballapalooza, and finally the plastic book that accompanied your stand toy piano. I'm sure there are others from which you have escaped without alerting me. 

I don't get nearly as many photos of you now. You're a whirlwind of action, and oftentimes the cutest moments are best enjoyed live. But to give you an idea of just how cute you are:

You're awfully adorable.

You're starting to do things that your dad and I agree are more appropriate from a kid than a baby. I guess its just another part of toddlerhood, but as I said earlier, I didn't really prepare myself so I am not really sure what to expect! You've been doing a lot of play conversing on anything remotely resembling a telephone, including the remote and a small board book which is oddly reminiscent of a flip phone, which I don't think you'll ever see in person. Huh. 

I love that you now can sit down with a book and turn the pages, examining each one for things to feel and enjoy. You point at things you want, and even when I say no, your pointing becomes more demanding. Your eyes open wider as if you are earnestly in need of the thermometer or the straw from my cup. You don't seem to need as much comfort cuddling as you once did, but you occasionally reward me with unprovoked kisses and hugs. Just tonight you toddled over to me to give me not one, not two, but four kisses right on the lips. With your chicken pox-y lips. I think you're aware of that, too. 

Last week I took you to Marbles kid's museum with H. We sat outside in the Sun Garden and ate a picnic snack. H was beside me and you were, of course, all over the place. Eventually you crawled back up to us and stood up, reaching a hand out to H as if to say, "come walk with me". Sadly, she declined and you eventually withdrew your hand and dropped back down to your knees. I am still upset over it. But you two do hold hands and walk sometimes. You love to hold one of my hands and one of hers and walk all over the playroom.

There are a couple things I'm working with you on; one being that you seem to find hitting an appropriate way of expressing emotions (happiness, sadness, anger, it doesn't seem to matter). I'm really not sure where you picked it up from, but I hope it's short-lived. Another thing is your absolute refusal to eat until we are pretty much finished with dinner. I don't get it. Maybe it's an instinct thing? Whatever it is, you throw your food on the floor for the first 85% of the meal and the last 15% you seem to remember that food is for eating. This too shall pass! This too shall pass!

What other toddler-esque things are you up to? You like to color when you can get your hands on anything that writes, you love to pull all of my cards out of my wallet (and while we're at it, the wipes box is a favorite as well), and I have caught you trying to put stuff in your diaper a few times too. This isn't Rugrats! You aren't Tommy!

I guess because it's getting late I should wrap this up. I can't tell you how amazing it is to be your mommy. Sometimes you have to remind me that you aren't perfect 100% of the time just for me to be able to let you go for a little while. I love you so much. <3 Mommy