| Tuesday, August 09, 2005 |
| To Lauren, on Her 11 Month Birthday |
My Dearest Lauren,
It's too soon. I dreaded the day I had to write this post because I know what it means. It means that in 31 days you will turn one year old. I'm not ready for that. Not yet. So you just stay where you are, Missy! That's an order!
I'm a wreck. I'm fretting over your birthday party. I'm inviting our whole family and a couple of neighbors, which brings the party total to exactly 138. I don't think I have that many paper plates, sweetie.
Relatives ask me what you want for your birthday. I normally tell them that you want a new wagon, some blocks, and some LeapPad books. So what did Daddy and I do when we went to Target yesterday? We bought you a new Radio Flyer and some blocks. Yeah, a woman and her 10% off Target coupon are not a force to be reckoned with.
So I tell them what I think you want, but what do you REALLY want? When I look into your eyes, you're telling me you want some more Veggie Puffs, a bottle, and a diaper change. How do I tell them to put that in a box and put a bow on it? And if your adventurous escapades of late are any indication, I should tell them that what you really want is to roam freely. You want a place void of baby gates and locks, with cabinets and drawers that you can open and close until the end of time, with pots, pans, and pie plates in every nook and cranny, and where every reachable surface is lined with velcro, magnets, and animal crackers. Unfortunately, I think this place only exists at Neverland Ranch, and there is no way I'm even letting you near that place.
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Originally uploaded by ieatcrayonz.
I was so proud of you this month, but even moreso, I was proud of myself. I don't have trouble thinking up things to do, I just have trouble finding the motivation to get out and do it, especially in this God foresaken heat wave. We went to the zoo and you LOVED your first train ride. We went to our first ladies night out, and you played in your first real swimming pool. I went out on a date and met my first blogger. You'll have to wait until your older before I tell you about the shennanigans from that night. And finally, you played in your first fort. I could tell that it was your first fort of many to come.
We locked you out of your beloved cabinets this month. And we converted the kitchen into a gated community. You were ticked. We fed you more antibiotics and prayed that this is the last of this lingering double ear infection. We'll find out on Friday. You stopped throwing hissy fits during bathtime and appear to be enjoying them again. I'm attributing all general pissiness this month to the earaches. And finally, this month you showed me that you really have been paying attention and signed the word milk. God, I was so proud of you, sweetie.
This month you loved to climb stairs, bounce on the bed, pretend you were going to walk without assistance, wagon rides, high-fives, balloons, pretending you were ET with your finger, playing catch, helping daddy close the microwave and push start, and pressing the blue "No messages" button on the answering machine over and over. Notice the button pushing motif here?
And yes, you still REALLY, REALLY hate vacuums. And bedtime. And breathing treatments. And not being held every 5 minutes. And your rapidly shrinking car seat. And lemons. Yeah I know, I'm evil, my little pucker face.
Your daddy started his new job last Thursday. His last job made him work long hours and weekends and his boss was a complete Poophead. He promises that this new job will allow him to spend more time with you. That will make us both very, very happy.
This month we lost Grandma Eula. Oh Lauren, I wish you were old enough to keep some tiny memory of her and how much she loved you. It's not fair that she had to go so quickly, but it's even more unfair for us to wish her to keep on living in such pain from cancer. In a few years, we'll share lots of stories about Eula with you. Grandma and Grandpa Miller love to tell the story about your Daddy riding his tricycle over to Eula's house one day and not telling anybody. When Grandma and Grandpa found him, he got some swats and was told never to leave without telling somebody. As they were leaving, your daddy turned to Eula and Bert and said, "I'll be back again, some day!"
My beautiful girl, this world is full of tragedy, but for every tragedy there are many hopes, dreams, love, and laughter. I can't wait to share it all with you. I love you. Sweet dreams. |
| posted by ieatcrayonz @ 8/09/2005 |
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