Toy Stealer

I think I may have mentioned this before.... but you are an incredibly loving, affectionate and even-tempered little girl. It is wonderful - and one of the reasons why people love to spend time with you. In fact, your teachers at TinyMinders - Marina and Helen - actually fight over who gets to hug you first in the morning. It's precious (and makes me feel so good as a mom!)

There is another attribute you have - though funny - is probably not the thing I am most proud of: you are a toy stealer. You have the will of one thousand mountains - which one day will be very useful as you are negotiating multi-billion dollar deals with foreign nationals (or as you negotiate the boarder-cross track at the 2025 Winter Olympics - either one is fine by me!). But as an 11 month old, this strong will comes out with other babies as you try to steal their toys. No matter what the other babies are playing with, you seem to think it is more interesting than whatever you've got going on, and you rip it right out of their chubby little hands. Your daddy and I have discussed this with you a few times now, and it doesn't seem to be getting better. One of the saddest things about this is that you have a reputation for this behavior at school. Even the director knows that little Hadley Larson is a toy stealer! Ahhhh - the pride.

Considering all the other amazingly wonderful attributes you have, I am not going to lose a lot of sleep over this. However, it has me thinking maybe you need a little brother or sister soon so you learn how to share....

i love you madly.
mama

1st Letter

To my beautiful HP -

I have been asked by your Nanna and Nonny to keep a running journal of my thoughts on your life, on my life with you, and every observation inbetween. Here you are exactly three weeks away from turning one, and I am only just starting this process. I thought about keeping a hand-written journal - a little more authentic and historical; I thought about creating a webpage - but that seems like a lot of work; and then I thought a Blog might be the best answer. This one is intended for you to read one day - when you are ready to hear about how much I love you....which may not be until you have a baby of your own! We'll see...in the meantime, these are my thoughts to you and you alone.

I am completely and totally consumed by my love for you. You and your daddy are my entire world. Even now, as I sit here at my computer (at work - shhhh!) I am tearing up just thinking about how much I love you. Someday - when you're a mom - you will understand this.

Before we knew if you were going to be a girl or a boy (and yes, we found out because we were just too excited to wait!) I thought for sure I wanted a boy first. I think this is because of your adorable Uncle C Bones. I was 16 when he was born, so he was the first baby I really ever loved and cared for. And Oh What FUN he was as a little boy. But when we found out you were a baby girl (and ask me about daddy's reaction to that ultrasound some day) my thoughts automatically shifted, and it was as if it could have never been any other option. You were my daughter from that day forward, and I have loved you more every minute of every day since.

You are an incredibly bright, independent and loving little girl. You have always been advanced in your development - in all areas except teeth. For some reason, you didn't get your first teeth until you were 9 months old! I was seriously ready to take you into the dentist for x-rays just to confirm that you had them. You come from a long line of beautiful teeth, so this was an area that was of great importance to me. :-) You have a great little giggle, even though you didn't share it with us until you were about 7 months old - and even then, we need original material every time. You're no dummy - it's only funny once, apparently. And then there are your kisses - man oh man are you a cute little kisser. Full-open-mouth-with-tongue-kisses. And I love every single one of them, wet and sticky as they are. And you take your little cherub hands and place them on either side of my face as you kiss me. I can only guess that you have learned this from me - I can't keep my hands off of you!

We are getting ready for you to walk any day now. (You look like a little drunken midget right now - pushing anything that slides in front of you for support). Once that happens, I have a feeling I will spend the rest of my days on this planet chasing after you. The only time you ever seem to really need me is when you are extremely tired or sick - then, and only then, do you ever say "mama" and it is usually through an onslaught of crocodile tears. I would never tell your daddy, but I love that I am the only one you want when you're upset. It's our little secret now.

So here represents the first of many letters I will write to you. The first few may be a bit jumbled as I try to cram the last 11 months into a few paragraphs. But once we get caught up, it will be a place for me to write down my observations - whether they be daily, monthly or...every 11 months!!

I love you madly.
mama