Letters to Little Miss

Letters to Little Miss.

Baby girl,

This is my first letter to you, although you’ve been hearing an earful from your mama for a while now.

You are such a magical, new thing in my life. Some parts of you feel so familiar to me already. Your movements and kicks, the rounding of my belly and this ache in my back. But there are parts of our journey so far that are distinctly yours. Time spent imagining your face. Trying different names out on my tongue.

For now, I study your last ultrasound photos - looking closely at the perfect curve of your head,and the grainy photo of your nose and lips. There is something about this tiny peek into you becoming you that keeps linger in my thoughts. That perfect nose, those little lips that already look so much like ones I kiss daily- you feel like everything I know and yet, remarkably different.

I am awed by what you have become in 6 months time and how much you’ve shifted and shaped our family already. We are making room for you in every part of our home and hearts. We await your newness. Anticipate your familiarity. And can not wait for you to arrive.

Love,

Your Mama

Tiny Ballerina

I helped her pull her arms through the soft pink leotard with a little lump in my throat. The moment felt important. Soon after, she stood on our back patio, arm on her hip and as I clicked the button on my camera, I knew I was capturing so much more than a photo.

Liliana's first ballet class.

She has been waiting for this moment for over a year. I searched high and low until I could find a dance studio that had a weekend class for her age group. Most of them only offered classes on weekday evenings when i was not guaranteed to be off of work and, I wasn’t going to miss a single class.

If ever there was a reason to blog - to capture all the little moments - it’s the constant reminder that this stage - my tiny, pink-clad girl with her hair piled high on her head - will be gone before I’m even done soaking her in.

We arrived at the studio and Lily without missing a beat slipped into her tiny ballet slippers, and followed the little group of girls into the room where her dance class would take place. Only glancing back for a second to wave me on my way.

I peeked through the curtain, a smile on my face, as I watched her concentrate on her teacher’s directions. She skipped and hopped and shimmied and shuffled. She was so enthralled that she never looked up to wave at me - not once. She was having entirely too much fun.

Before I knew it my little ballerina was tip toeing out of class, hands raised above her head, glowing. Her first question: “Can I come back again?”  She has asked me multiple times since, how many days until ballet class again.

It’s too early to know if she will develop a passion for dance and if she doesn't that is fine too, but for now I will breath in every little moment of my tiny ballerina.

Preschool- she never looked back

Well we did it!! We made it through the first day of preschool, and when I say we, that is exactly what I mean. Watching your kids grow up is such a wonderful experience but boy is it an emotional roller coaster.

Liliana has always walked into any room as if she was meant to be there. Confident and wide open, unafraid of anything new.Watching the way she interacts with the world, even at this young age,  has proven to me that at our core most of us are who we are. As parents, we certainly have a lot of influence over some of our children’s manners and actions, but so much of what shapes our personalities is not trained or taught, it’s as innate to our being as having brown eyes or athletic ability. 

Last week, I walked Liliana up to her new classroom, She walked right in, said hello to her teachers and sat right down on the group rug with the other kids in her class, just like she had done it a hundred times before. She barely acknowledged my leaving and a twinge of bittersweet pain struck me as i marveled at the ease in which she adjusts to new environments. For all that confidence, sometimes I wish she’d need me just a little more. I lingered in the doorway hoping she’d look up at me before we left.

It’s so curious to me, how much my heart has see-sawed back and forth as I watch Liliana enter this new environment. How I wish my daughter, just every now and then, would look back one last time.

Liliana started preschool last week, wearing a Cinderella book bag that was nearly the same size of her little body. No tears were shed. Art projects were sent home and goldfish crackers were consumed. She took another step towards childhood and away from babyhood. I waved goodbye. She never looked back.


After I dropped her off on her first day, I sat in my car for a few minutes, sorting out the jumble of sadness and pride that had settled down on me. It’s a combination of emotions that becomes more familiar with each year that passes.


But what a beautiful thing to watch unfold- My beautiful little girl, a little more each day, becoming the unique person she is meant to be.

Lily started preschool in Mrs. Websters class rm 12 on 8/29/13

Fun in the Sun

Yesterday, was a nice hot humid day in the 90's. So we decided to take full advantage of finally having our own yard and garden hose, and hooked up Lilys very first sprinkler.Needless to say she had a BLAST playing in the fresh cool water.

There is just something about a sprinkler that makes you feel like a kid again, I don't know if it is the freedom of running in your bare feet through the cold wet grass or what but we love it, and are looking forward to a summer filled with lots of sprinklers.

Lily says

Today looking out the window at all of the snow I said to Jason " wow it looks like we have about a foot of snow already this morning" lily in turn reciprocates with " wow mom look at all the feets the snow has see dad the snow has feet" lol

A letter to our charming home.

Dear Charming Home, 

    

    Tuesday you officially become ours. Despite having driven past you countless times in the past few months, this time when the key is turned in your door, it will be different. Tuesday we start a new adventure in living a good life together.

     A year ago, we wondered if you were possible. We didn't think that we could afford to realize such a dream but we prayed and waited and saved (and hoped alot) and we found our answers and the money. We keep touching your walls and listening to the creak of your 134 year old floors. It's still kind of hard to believe that we did this- that we worked hard enough to be able to buy you.

    We are proud of us for accomplishing this and proud of you for everything that you stand for. A dream fulfilled. We have so many hopes for you. I cant wait to raise my babies in your walls. We can watch them grow together and when we send them off into the world, know that you will keep a special place in their hearts. They will hold for you the same loving sentimentality occupied in my own heart for the childhood home that once grew me too.

We love you and dreamed of you. It is good to be home.

Love,

 Jules

Just a little side note for my memory, On Friday 1/18/13 we closed on our lovely home and due to some incorrect wording on some paperwork nothing will be filed until tuesday( because monday is a holiday )and then we will get the keys.

A night out fit for a princess

  One really neat thing about being a parent, is being able to sit back and watch your child enjoy the very same things that brought great joy to you when you were little, and tonight was no exception to that.
  Tonight Lily went to her very first live show; Disney's Rockin' Ever After on Ice. It was phenomenal and we all had a wonderful time. Although I would be lying if I said there were no tears. However, those teary eyes may or may not have been from the mama sitting next to her little princess. I just can't help but to get chocked  up watching her mesmerized expression. Hooray for the magic of childhood.
  One of the cutest things to watch was each time either something exciting happened or a new princess would emerge. Lily would take her tiny hands and cover up her mouth almost as to contain the intense amount of joy and excitement that would swoosh over her. Other than that, and the occasional "mom look did you see that" or a "how is she doing that mom?". Lil spent most of the show holding my hand or cuddled on my lap completely entranced with the show.
   It was a wonderful night full of magic and good friends. I cant forget to mention, we were able to share this wonderful experience with our good friends and next door neighbors Alana and her sweet daughter Lyla. We couldn't have asked her better company.
  Tonight was a night filled with magic, laughter, and memories to last a lifetime.

 

I am so glad we were able to share this experience together. I will never forget the joy and excitement that beamed from every inch of you. And I hope that this memory stays as close to your heart as it is to mine. I love you so much baby girl.

Love, 

Mama