Letters to Baby

Dear baby,

You are growing by leaps and bounds now. I feel like my belly is growing a foot every day! Of course that's not true, or I wouldn't even be able to fit in your nursery anymore, but you sure are growing quickly! Daddy and I keep talking about how in around six weeks you'll be in our arms and - shocker of all shockers - we'll get to keep you forever!

We keep wondering what you will be like - what your personality will be, what things you will be interested in and who you'll look like. Of course I hope you look like an exact replica of Daddy, but I wouldn't mind if you got my skin color over Daddy's - you'll thank me every time you go to a pool party in high school and don't blind everyone.

I'm so excited to play with you. From learning to wave, to speaking your first word, I can't wait to watch you take in the world around you and figure out how it works. As you get older, I hope we'll begin play make-believe together. Fighting dragons, riding ponies and walking the plank, I'm excited to travel to new worlds with you and have grand adventures. We'll have sword fights, dig holes, build forts, get dirty and ruin our clothes. To be honest, Daddy will probably be best at this, he has the energy level of a 10 year old, but Mommy's had her fair share of getting down and dirty.


Growing up, I rode horses all the time. Papa and Grandma always wondered where I got my love for horses - because it sure wasn't from them - but they indulged me anyway and bought me my first pony when I was 12. I rode my pony everywhere, bareback, bare feet* and yes, in overalls and pigtails, I was your classic hick country girl. Some of my favorite memories are of going out to the back pasture and picking mulberries right from my pony's back while he snacked on some grass, and wading through the creek during the hot summers. I once fell off right into the water when my pony got scared from a quail flying up from the bank. I was so mad at him but everyone else thought it was so funny that I had to laugh too.

Since we live in the city, horses might not be conducive to our lives, but that's not to say we can't do lots of other adventurous things. Your papa and grandma live in a giant, old school - I have a feeling you're going to love it there. It'll be perfect for playing sardines, performing plays on the old stage (complete with red velvet drapes!), and building new inventions or making artwork in the shop. Plus, your daddy has gotten in lots of practice with your older cousins already, he's really good at playing the scary monster and helping them race their toy trucks around. I have a feeling he'll run circles around me as the more "fun parent," but always remember he couldn't be near as fun if he didn't have mom feeding all the cowboys, cops, robbers and pirates in our house three square meals a day.

I love you so much and just know we're going to have so much fun together - whatever we do!

Mommy

*Mommy does not endorse this practice - I stopped running around the barn barefoot when the pony stepped right on my foot. I had to push him over with all my weight to get him to step off it. Could barely walk for two weeks! Learn from your parent's mistakes, right?

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