Dear Harriet – 6 Months

Dear Harriet,

I can’t tell you how glad I am that you are in our family.  You have made our family so much more fun!  Your sister, your daddy, and I love to see your sweet smiles.  You smile with your whole body, bringing your hands together in front of your body.  It’s like you’re trying to grab the joy and pull it to your heart.  I try to take it all in, because it’s so clear that you are trying to do the same.

You are an expert sitter.  You have been for quite a while.  You are happy to sit somewhere where you can see the action.  You like to be somewhere you can watch your sister run around, dance, and play.  You love it when she stops and gives you some attention and love.

You are patient and mellow, except when you’re not.  And when you’re not, you make it known.  You have a very loud voice, and you love to use it.

You sleep through the night, mostly.  You do like to wake up one time in the early morning for a snack, but usually go back to sleep for a couple hours afterward.  The other night you slept until 7:18 and I was amazed!  Let’s keep that up!

You are growing right on track.  At your appointment with Dr. B today she said you are perfect.  I quite agree.

I love you, and love everything you bring to our family.

Always,

Your Mommy

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A Love Letter to My Two-Year-Old

Dear Alma,

Today you turn two years old.  Two years ago, you gave me the best thing in the world.  You gave me you.  You made me a mom.  You made me your mom.  That is important for you to know.  I love being your mom.  You are best two-year-old there ever was.  As your mom, I’m supposed to think that, but believe me, Alma, it is true.  I have never known anything to be more true than that.  You are the best.  You are beautiful, Alma.

Your mind is the best.  Right now you are talking to yourself, or your dolls, or your dreams, in your crib.  You should be napping, but I love to hear your sweet voice through your door.  The nap will come soon enough, when you decide to lay your head on your pillow and fall asleep.  As a two-year-old, I see things in you that weren’t there last year.  You are able to play by yourself so well.  Your imagination astonishes me everyday.  You create little games, and turn toys into different things all the time.  Your creativity is beautiful, Alma.

Your body is the best.  Your body has grown so much this year.  You are really learning how to use your strong, graceful, energetic body.  You love dancing so much these days.  Ever since we saw the Nutcracker at the library, you are a regular little ballerina.  You ask for music all the time.  When the music comes on, you dance.  I love watching everything about how you dance.  You get such a serious face, or sometimes a proud little grin.  You control your body as you mimic what you saw the dancers do.  I can tell that in your mind, you look just like them.  I love how you seamlessly go between the soft moves of the Sugar Plum Fairy, to the sword thrusting moves of the Mouse King.  And you can jump!  Boy, how you can jump!  Your body is beautiful, Alma.

Your brain is the best.  You learn new words everyday.  The words you’ve known for a long time are starting to come out of your little mouth, in your most amazing voice.  You are starting to learn your colors.  You call me Mom or Mama.  Your dad is Daddy or Dada or somethings Jesse.  Harriet is Hathhh with your tongue sticking out.  You love to look at books.  You love to read them yourself, making up amazing stories in your own little language.  You like to tell these stories to Harriet.  You can follow my directions.  You are quick to figure things out, like how to use your blocks, unlock Nana’s cell phone, buckle your high chair straps.  Your brain is beautiful, Alma

Your love is the best.  I have seen your love in such an incredible way this year.  When you met your sister, I think your heart must have grown a few sizes.  The way you look at her, especially now that she’s starting to be more fun, is astonishing.  You love to see Harriet looking at you, watching you, smiling at you.  I can tell you love having Harriet on your team.  Your love is beautiful, Alma.

You are the best.  You are so, so beautiful, Alma.  I am so excited to see the ways you will grow more beautiful this year, Alma.

Love,

Your Mommy

From Sisters to Friends

When we brought Harriet home from the hospital, I wasn’t sure how Alma would react.  When I was pregnant with Harriet, whenever anyone asked me how I was preparing Alma, I would feel the tears very close to the surface.  I was so sad for her.  I was mourning the fact that she would be losing some of our love and attention. 

I would picture her little heart breaking as our hearts transitioned from loving just her, to loving another.  I asked everyone if it was really, truly possible to love another baby as much, and still love Alma as much as I always had.  I couldn’t understand that it was possible.  I couldn’t understand how Alma would deal with losing some of my love – because that was the only way I could fathom the transfer of love onto the second child. 

It was confusing to me, so I imagined it was undecipherable to Alma’s 20 month old mind.  How could we prepare my baby to understand that there was another baby growing in my belly, and soon she would come out and be real?  There was no way.

I totally cried as we left Alma with my parents, and headed to the hospital.  I felt like I was losing something – losing her. 

But, as with all things concerning love, I was wildly mistaken.  I was over-thinking it. I had Harriet, and instantly loved her as much as I have ever loved Alma – just like I was told I would.  When I saw Alma again, I still loved her just as much as ever.  Somehow, despite all my ideas to the contrary, my heart had enough room for both my girls.

And Alma?  Alma got a sister.  She came in, saw Harriet in her swing, and didn’t seem at all confused about the situation.  She went right up to her and seemed to welcome her.  Somehow she knew – she knew – this was her sister. 

Now Harriet is three months old and I am constantly amazed at their evolving relationship.  While we certainly have our moments when I think Alma would rather have all our attention – or, rather that Harriet not get much of our attention – she is generally a very good big sister.  If Harriet is crying, Alma will run over and try to help her.  She will give her her pacifier, or her blanket, or just touch her cheek.  Harriet’s eyes are on Alma if she is anywhere near by, and Alma gets a lot of Harriet’s sweet smiles.

I think Alma is figuring out that Harriet will be a playmate someday.  She will crawl up next to Harriet when she is playing on the floor.  She will try to show Harriet how to use the toys on her playmat. She will share her toys with Harriet (I often find toys tucked into Harriet’s swing and carseat).  She gets it. 

I was so busy worrying about how Alma would react to losing our love, that I forgot to imagine how she would react to gaining the love of her sister.  I am just starting to see glimmers of their sweet friendship developing, and I am so excited to see how strong it will grow.