1. You love watching. I take you outside and your mouth moves, forming secret words, as you watch the people and the cars and the animals pass us by. The ants on our porch delight you. The old women who wave and giggle at the grocery store charm you. The wind that blows through our sleepy neighborhood captivates you. I love seeing you experiencing our world.
2. You sleep poorly. No. You sleep with a desire to have us close by you at all times. We snuggle, we nurse, we wake, and we talk. It’s okay that we don’t sleep through the night right now. We will. Eventually. I cherish each moment with you…even moments at 2am.
3. You love animals. Each morning, you wake up and say, “Da-da-da-da” which translates as “Dog, come here!” I call Margot into our bedroom and you bounce up and down in excitement. On most mornings, you squeal when she jumps up on our bed.
4. You eat food. Real, grown-up food like avocado toast, roasted chicken, broccoli, sliced apples, banana oatmeal, apple muffins….
5. You still love to nurse. And I promise my dear, we’ll nurse for as long as you need to. It’s one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever done.
6. You drink coffee. Not really. But you come with me to get a cappuccino each day. We sit at our coffee shop and everyone knows you. They smile and laugh and coo, and you respond in kind. Right now, you’re sitting beside me and chewing on an apple. It’s one of my favorite parts of our day, and I think it’s one of your favorite parts too.
7. You’re learning to talk. You say “ma-ma” for me, “paw-paw” for your dad, “na-na” for milk or nursing, “da-da” for dogs.
8. You are mobile. You crawl faster than some people walk. You pull yourself up on our couch, our chairs, our tables, our bed, our legs. It won’t be much longer until you’re walking, and then running, and then jumping. I try not to think too much about how big and fast you’ll soon become.
9. You are light. You have brought us such joy and laughter after a season of such sadness. I am daily reminded of how beautiful life can be. You have brought such hope to our family, and we’re blessed to have you in our care. We love you, sweet Lucille Amelia.
1. You love watching. I take you outside and your mouth moves, forming secret words, as you watch the people and the cars and the animals pass us by. The ants on our porch delight you. The old women who wave and giggle at the grocery store charm you. The wind that blows through our sleepy neighborhood captivates you. I love seeing you experiencing our world.
