Dear Sugarpie,

Oh my goodness, baby girl, you are ONE WHOLE YEAR OLD today!! I simply cannot believe it. Our 68 hour labor seems like yesterday, but some of it seems light years ago.

You have turned into such a beautiful little human being. I am amazed to see your little (big) personality unfolding as you find new ways to express that little sassafrass who lives inside of you. I am overwhelmed every day with how much I love you and I am flattered that you love me too! You and I are constant companions and total BFFs.

I never could have imagined the child that was waiting to greet me when you were break dancing in my belly. I never thought you would have two eyes that I never tired of gazing at. I never knew how much I could obsess over a pair of tiny feet. I never imagined what it would be like fall in love with you every time you nursed. I just didn’t know. I did not know what an amazing and sweet child that was waiting for me. How could I?

And now you are one. No longer a baby, but officially a toddler…even though you aren’t toddling yet. You’re still so tiny! You’re still my baby 🙂 You’re so happy, it makes Mommy happy. You love people and love being out and about right next to me. And I love it too!

You have amassed a vocabulary of 5 words, and you use them with a purpose. You say Mama, and Daddy

(Dah-dee!), you say bye bye and you say hi. It’s very clipped and has no h. It reminds me of Ozzy Osborne at the beginning of Crazy Train, so cute!

You’re so affectionate! Mommy gets lots of unsolicited hugs

and kisses…it’s the best thing ever.

You love to say hi to everyone at the store. Sometimes when I’m buckling you into your car seat, you’ll start saying hi and I’ll look to see someone passing by!

And you say milk. All of the time, you ask for milk. It sounds like mee-il mee-il mee-il and you never just say it once. I tried to teach it to you in sign language, but who needs that when you have a word, right?

You also have an incredible repertoire of scat. Here are your faves: dooweedooweedooweedooweedoo, bee-yo-beeyobeeyobeeyo, gully gullygullygully, doi doi doi, and zoo-buh zoo-buh zoo-buh. Ella Fitzgerald would be jealous. The last few days have seen a lot oh-hohohoho, and oooooooooooh. You purse your tiny lips and my heart melts. It’s so funny!

You’ve started to reach up your arms when you want to be picked up. I cannot resist when that is accompanied by Mama.

Oh and Sugarpie, you LOVE YOUR DADDY. You have started to shower us equally with your baby obsession. You and Daddy spend lots of time together on weekend mornings while Mommy sleeps, that’s your special time together. You even cried when he had to go out-of-town last month — heart breaking! Your enthusiasm for him makes me SO happy and it makes me love you both even more.

How many songs have you and Daddy written together? Tons! And that’s a lot. I hope you’re lucky enough to inherit his extreme creativity, I think you will. Here’s a song with a slideshow that you and Daddy wrote on way back from Italy.

We’re planning a little party for you with our family. You’ll have cake! For the first time, you will have Mommy’s favorite dessert. All of your grandparents will be here and some of our closest friends too.

Today Mommy made you a new batch of blueberry pancakes and scrambled eggs — two of your fave things! (Yes, eggs have finally made their way back into your good graces.)

You still love nursing, I’m so proud of us that we made it a year! There were times in the beginning that I didn’t think we’d make it at all, Sugarpie. But we did it 🙂 And hopefully we can keep going for a little longer, I know you’re not ready to stop! You must be growing because between nursing and eating solids like a horse these last few days, you might put a teenage boy to shame.

But my sweet girl, all I want to do today is squeeze your baby sweetness and smell your hair and try to remember every minute of who you are right now. I’ve seen how times flies and I know that tomorrow you will be just a little older, today you are just a little bigger than you were yesterday, and on it goes.

Here’s to many more happy years, Sugarpie!

I love you forever and ever ,

xoxo Mommy

ps–Wordpress said I can’t make a slide show right now 😦 I had one picture picked out from every month of your life! We’ll just have to make that a separate post.

Dear Sugarpie,

Happy birthday! You’re eight months old! What a month it’s been…lots of travel and family time, and so many milestones.

In July, we went to Canyon Lake with Nanna, Pawpaw, Aunt Misty, Uncle Ricky, and your cousins Emi, Brady, and Tobey. I’m not sure that your little bum ever hit the ground because there was always someone there to hold you. You loved the attention and all of the energy of your cousins!

Then we went to California to see your Grandma (Daddy’s mommy). Emi came with us so you again, had a constant companion. La Jolla is so beautiful and you loved sitting with Emi at the big window in Grandma’s condo that looks right out onto the ocean.

Mommy and Emi went to tour Warner Brothers studio while we were in LA (they don’t let little stinkers come), so Daddy took you to have lunch with his friend at the Warner Brothers commissary. Doodlebug, you got to tour the back lot of a major Hollywood studio too! Wow! You and Daddy had so much fun!

My best memory of this trip with you though, was at sunset on the beach toward the end of the week. You, Mommy, and Emi had fancy dinner at the hotel where Daddy had to give a talk. After dinner, we went on the beach to take pictures of you and Emi. You were wearing a sweet little sundress with a cardigan over it and your hair was all flipped out from the humidity.

I twirled you around in my arms. You threw your head back and smiled so big! You giggled and showed Mommy your three teeth! (The three tooth smile is, by far, one of my faves.) We spun around in the ocean breeze and sunset light until we were dizzy and you gave me a memory of pure happiness that I will never ever forget. The image of your smile and the way your little body felt in my arms will stay with me always.

Well, on August 4th, I noticed your fourth tooth coming through…just when I was falling in love with that snaggle-tooth smile! It was the top middle, on the left. And then, all of a sudden, when I was snuggling you and very close, you smiled and I saw that the tiniest little bottom tooth to the right of the middle ones had come through. That’s why you were cranky 🙂 But you weren’t done there because the right side eye tooth will be breaking through any day. Stop it with all of this growing up so fast! What’s the hurry with all of these teeth, Sugarpie?

You also like to grind your tiny teeth. Mommy doesn’t like that so much.

You want to crawl SO badly, Georgia! On August 6th, you and Daddy and I were on the bed letting you play and from your tummy, you just sat right up all by yourself. What a surprise! Daddy and I looked at each other in shock, then we filmed you doing it again. You were so proud of yourself and so were we 🙂 You haven’t crawled yet, but I bet it will happen any day. (I am not in a hurry.)

Now you sit up all of the time, even in your bassinet when you should be sleeping! We had to lower your crib all the way AND your bassinet. You’ll sleep in your big girl crib some day, but only when Mommy’s ready.

It was a big month for food firsts, you had your first sausage (yum!) and eggs (double yum!) when we went to breakfast with Jon, Jayne, and Romy. She just turned a year old and she’s gonna show you the ropes.

You also ate soba noodles and salmon roe–you loved it Sugarpie! You sucked the noodles in just like you had been eating them your whole life. The salmon roe was really cool, you liked how it went “pop” in your mouth.

I think your biggest breakthrough this month was…drumroll…when you SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT. That’s right, on Sunday August the 5th, you slept from about 7:30 until 6:15, with out waking up. Of course Mommy didn’t sleep, she woke up all night to make sure you were ok 😉 We had one more night like that and a couple of nights where you woke up a little, but you decided you don’t need to nurse all night long anymore! My big girl…*sniff*

Next month we’ll go to Italy, Sugarpie!! You’re going to have so much fun eating, just like Mommy and Daddy!

I know this letter was long, but it was such a big month filled with travel adventures, food, adventures, and new mobility adventures. You continue to amaze me with how much fun you make it to be your Mommy. You are SO sweet, Sugarpie! I love you more every single day. You have made our hearts grow so much more than we ever knew they could.

Love you forever, sweet girl!

XOXO, Mommy

Dear Sugarpie,

You are 7 months old today! My little macaron! I call you that because, just like the French pastry, you are so delicate, you seem so tiny and sweet and fragile on the outside and all soft and gooey on the inside. But you’re not fragile, you’re tough, baby girl! I know it, and you will some day too.

It’s been a big month and speaking of food, you’ve started eating! Mommy writes about it every day because it is just so much fun. Your very first food was an avocado. You’ve gotten better at swallowing and we’ve decided to skip over traditional baby food and let you find your way with the whole stuff. Discovering food with you is so much fun and you are a bottomless pit when it comes to yogurt and fresh blueberries.

And you look so tiny in your high chair, you’re in your most macaron state there.

You are now a professional sitter-upper and you’ve even added rocking to your sitting reperatoire. It’s like baby dancing, when you get excited, there you go!

On June 28th you said ma! just one syllable, an isolated ma, not quite mama, but close enough! The next day you said ba-buh-buh-buh-ba. In any case, you are starting to babble! I’ve been lobbying hard for long strings of mamamamama, but it will come. It’s the cutest thing.

You’ve since added ye-ye-ye-ye-ye, but mostly just when you’re mad.

You’re still not sleeping through the night, but I can make it through a little longer. Maybe you just get lonely for Mommy at 10:00, midnight, and 2:00. And 4:30.

And 5:30. That’s ok, you’re just a little snuggle bunny and I love you no matter what time it is. Your naps are predictable though, and you’ve gotten better about taking them.

You’ve also started blowing raspberries! It’s really messy and drooly but oh-so-much fun! It is absolutely adorable.

And I guess your sweet little bottom teeth were lonely because your top right tooth has decided to join in! I noticed a knot a couple of weeks ago, now it has mostly broken through. Is that why you needed Mommy to hold you so much? Well, I have to confess that it makes me a little sad. Those lone bottom teeth are SO cute and now it’s one more sign that you’re growing up. It’s bittersweet, baby girl.

But the best thing that you do, Sugarpie, is give hugs. You give hugs! Every time that I pick you up, you squeeze me so tightly and it is the most amazing thing in the world. I will stop whatever I am doing and just enjoy the way your tiny arms feel around my neck until you stop. It is the best part of my day.

So wow, look how much you’ve grown in one short month! We love you so much! And your daddy, oh how you love your daddy. It’s his birthday on Saturday and he is so happy that you’re here to celebrate it with him. You get really excited (usually start rocking and squealing) when he walks in the room. I said daddy when we were on the couch and you even looked back at the hallway–you know where he is!

You are the sweetest and most tender macaron, better than any from the fanciest pâtisserie in Paris! Life with you keeps getting better and I can’t wait to see what this new month with you will reveal.

I love you with all of my heart,

xoxo Mommy

Dear Sugarpie,

You’re 6 months old today! Six short (but long) months ago, you arrived on a rainy December afternoon. Mommy only had to push 3 times and out you came with a head full of curly brown hair! (It’s only curly when it’s wet.) You smelled like pennies!

We stared at each other, and when I looked at Daddy he had tears in his eyes. We knew our lives would never be the same.

Mommy wanted a dark-haired little baby girl so badly, and you came out even better than I could have hoped for.

And now look at you. This last month you’ve grown so much, in so many ways. Just after you turned 5 months old, you started rolling around like crazy. You could roll before, but now you can get around.

You and Mommy practiced just a little and now you’re sitting up on your own! I showed you how to balance on your sweet little hands and you can even look up at Mommy without falling over (mostly)! You’re so proud of yourself when you sit up, you like the view from up there. Last Tuesday at Gymboree, you sat up for 20 whole minutes!

In the last month you have really become animated. You get so excited and love the sound of your voice. New sounds are making their way out of your mouth and you love to experiment. (I’ve even heard a brief “momomo” once or twice.) You can also cry really loudly when you want to be heard! But you don’t cry so much.

Your Grandma Judy came to visit on the 18th and to welcome her, you got your teeth! Your wee little teeth 🙂 The first one came through on the 20th and the second one on the 22nd. We went to Ellie’s first birthday party and you liked her jumperoo so much that Grandma bought one just for you.

Next month we’ll get to spend lots of time with Nanna, Pawpaw, and your cousins. (That’s Mommy’s side of the family.) You love them too. Pawpaw can always make you smile and you love to hear Nanna sing.

You had your first booboo. You hit your little head but you’re so tough! Mommy only had to hold you for a couple of minutes before you were laughing and playing with Daddy again. I think it hurt us more than it hurt you.

When you and Mommy go to the store, you have to touch EVERYTHING that goes in the basket. You’re so curious about the world and every little thing is fascinating to you. It’s so funny!

We go on playdates a lot with your friends Camilla and Evie, you like them. You seem a little shy around other babies, but you like to touch their faces, if they let you!

And guess what, Doodlebug? You have a passport! It has got to be the cutest passport known to man. We’re going to go Italy in September. You will be an Italophile and speak Italian just like Mommy and Daddy!

And you know what the most exciting thing is? Today you’re going to get to eat real food for the first time, you will LOVE it! You’ll still have plenty of Mommy’s milk, but there’s a whole culinary world out there to discover. Mommy and Daddy love to eat. It’s going to be great!

You are so much fun. You are an absolute joy every single day. Life with you is the best adventure and making you smile is the most rewarding thing that I do on any given day. I hope you know how happy you’ve made Mommy and Daddy. You are loved more than you can imagine. You will only understand when you grow up and have a Sugarpie of your own. But until then, please enjoy every minute of this new world from the comfort of the love that your family has for you, baby girl!

XOXO,

Mommy

P.S. We went to the doctor for your 6 month check up (6/15) and you weighed 14 lbs 4 oz and were 25 5/8 in long!

Dear Sugarpie,

Where do I begin! You will be 5 months old tomorrow! You were such a little nugget of a newborn just yesterday. In fact, you were just dancing around in Mommy’s belly like a fetal James Brown not so long ago.

But now, my baby girl, you are here. In all of your pure, sweet, baby glory, you are here. From your miniature little toes to your butterscotch breath, I adore every single piece of you.

We’ve been through some rough times (remember when Mommy cried all of the time right after you were born?), but we made it through. You never gave up on trying to nurse in a way that would satisfy your little tummy and Mommy kept at it until we both figured it out. Now look at you! You’re a nursing ninja, and it’s the most special time that we can spend together.

When you start to nurse and look up at me with those beautiful eyes, it melts my heart, every time. We have a connection that I hope you will get to experience one day too. (But not until you’re at least 27!!) It’s like nothing else in this world. It was the best decision I ever made.

You’ve started to laugh and it lights up the whole room when you do! Your generous smile (you always have one for Mommy!) is what keeps me going, even when you wake me in the middle of the night 😉 Just one toothless grin, and I go all mushy!

You love being on your changing table, and your tiny toes always seem to make their way to your mouth when you’re on it. I think they taste best at a higher altitude.

You don’t like tummy time so much, but who needs it anyway! You can hold up your sweet little brunette head  just fine. For a few days, you decided that you only needed to wake up one time during the night, but you missed nursing so much that you had to do it twice again. That’s ok! There will be a time very soon when you won’t need me so much, and I’ll miss that.

You get so excited about life sometimes that you squeal at the top of your little lungs! You’ve also just started to blow raspberries and spit bubbles. You’re fascinated by the world around you and you like to learn about things by gumming them 🙂 In fact, Nanna said that you have a little tooth coming in!

You haven’t started solids yet, but you will in a month or so…no rush, right Doodlebug? And you really like to be held. People say that I’m going to spoil you, but they don’t know that you just need a little extra comfort sometimes. This world may be exciting, but it can be big and scary for little babies too. Mommy knows.

You love grabbing Daddy’s nose and touching Mommy’s face. You also put your little lips on my cheek sometimes and its like the sweetest little fairy kiss. The little jelly rolls on your thighs are SO ticklish! I could write a book about those rolls.

You wake me in the morning by looking up at me and putting your chubby little hand on my mouth. Who needs an alarm?

And Sugarpie, you don’t know it, but you have a friend who watches over you from heaven. Her name is Caitrin and she would have been 6 months old today. She didn’t make it though, and that makes Mommy and her Mommy very sad. But we are lucky to have such a sweet little guardian angel to take care of you.

Mommy and Daddy are so glad that you found us. I never could’ve imagined that you would be so perfect! I LOVE your head full of brown hair, and you look just like your Daddy! Makes me love you even more.

You’re growing and changing, Georgia. It’s what you’re supposed to do, but Mommy just wants to bottle your 5 month-old sweetness for now. Please don’t grow up too fast!

I am forever yours, sweet girl.

Love,

Mommy