Dear Little Sugar,

I’m late again, but that’s only because I would rather kiss your face than type on my computer.

You, my dear, have sparkles inside. You are a living, breathing, snuggling, laughing, talking, fun-loving, life-enjoying little person. You are alive and ready to take on the world.

One way you show your inner sassafrass is by talking. You have added babababa, dadadada, wawawawa, deh deh, wra-er wra-er, and ga ga ga to your expanding vocabulary. Oh, and yayayayaya. You just cannot wait to tell us all about it! Your voice is SO cute that I can hardly take it.

We still hate tummy torture, which is why you aren’t using your rolling-around skills to move about, but I think you’re gonna be fine. We’re getting closer to sitting up, but for now we have to work on your balance and your core strength. Again, I don’t know anyone who needed a Bumbo to sit up at their high school graduation.

Your hair is getting longer (and wilder) and cuter every day. It has its own personality and soon will have its own zip code.

You also had your first ear infection and, unfortunately, your first course of antibiotics. Mommy had lots of ear infections when she was little. I know the pain so it amazed me how chipper you were through the whole thing.

Nanna and Paw Paw came to visit and babysat so Mommy and Daddy could go on a date. Nanna said that you got a little sad while I was gone and you kept saying Mama and looking around like you were looking for me. I know you’re not supposed to know what you’re saying yet, but I have seen you say Dada looking at Daddy and I’ve heard you say something really close to “hi” when someone says hi to you. Like I said, you have sparkles.

Grandma also came to visit and you just loved falling to sleep with her. She’s fun and knows all kinds of cool songs and silliness that makes you smile.

Sugarpie loves to hug you and you LOVE it too. It is such a joy to see you girls interact. I hope you both grow up knowing what a gift it is to have a sister.

I haven’t started feeding you solids yet, but I will soon. You’ve had a little tummy trouble so we’ll get you back on track and then introduce you to a whole new world! I let you lick an apple slice and you LOVED it!

But you know what my favorite thing is about you? You are happy, almost always. You smile easily and laugh and squeal and it is adorable. You’ve even added a cute little pointy tongue to your smiles. Lila Jane, you seem to be tapped into a well of sweetness and light and I want to hog every bit of it every day. I have resigned to sharing, but you have enough to go around and then some.

From your wild brunette mop top and sweet little eyelashes to your chubby thighs and tiny feet, I love every single piece of you. You are the cherry on top of our family and I cannot imagine how I ended up with two such incredible girls. I am forever grateful for you and your sister.

Love,

xoxo Mommy