Mothers Day 2013

Dear Emily,

It's been over a year since I've written here.  Life with you sure has gotten away from me!  There's so much I want to share with you, pictures I want to post, but think it's going to take quite a number of entries to catch things up.

Your baby sister was born January 26th, 2013.  An incredible little girl for you to always be a big sister to.  You were there when she was born, pouring water on my shoulders, stroking my hair, and reminding baby sister, "No Biting", when she went to nurse for the first time.  You were absolutely amazing, Emily.  I feel so proud of the two of you.

You started Montessori School last June, and flourished.  They welcomed you to start 6mo early since you were at the developmental milestones needed.  Since the very first day you have loved going to school, and always wake up excited to go to, "Tracy's School!!"  This past March you were also enrolled in a bilingual chinese school a few towns over.  It's been an amazing balance between the two schools.  In Montessori you have this freedom, while in the chinese school this strict structure.  For who you are, I believe both have given you exactly what you needed as you continue to work towards your educational development.  You love your chinese school, and your teachers love having you there.  In Montessori, they are impressed with your pen-to-paper work.  In your Chinese School, for your age, they are amazed with your focus and ability to sit quietly listening to your lessons.  I am proud.

With the birth of your sister you slipped back in your potty training, but your dad and I don't mind.  We are just waiting for you to be ready again to continue moving forward with it.

You love still nursing, and I cherish this time knowing that all too soon it will be over.  You call them, "My nursies".  You had a bit of jealousy as your baby sister would nurse, and are just starting to understand that I need to pump before you nurse and wait patiently until I am done and milk is available again.  I limit your time to the just nights before going to bed, and sometimes when you wake up in the morning.  It works well for us.

Until your baby sister was born, you were staying with your dad from Fri - Mon.  Now that your dad has settled in to full-time fatherhood, and the start of your Chinese School, you now are being picked up Monday after school and dropped of Wednesday morning for class.  You keep amazing track of your schedule, reminding us parents who's picking you up and what school your going to the next day.  How do you remember all of this?  It's pretty amazing.

I love you so much, Emily.  I look at you and continue to be so thankful you are my daughter, and can't imagine my life without you.  I am so thankful to your father, so thankful to him for you.

Dear Emily ~

I look forward to keeping this blog up to date more.  Time has passed so quickly and it's gotten away from me.

You are now in 1st grade, turning 7yo only a handful of months away (June 8).  You are working one to two years ahead of yourself.  With this, you now live with your dad full time so you can attend a school that best meets your level of learning.  I miss you tremendously, but your dad keeps me up to date with pictures, reports, extra curricular activities that you're enrolled in, and anything else pertaining to your life.

I love your dad tremendously for not only the man and father that he is, but also everything that he has given you (and your sister too!).  It never stops, and he continues to educate himself every day as to how he can be an even better parent. I see a lot of him in you, and I cherish that :)

Baby Love

Dear Emily,

You are loving baby Wyatt, Jennifer's littlest son, and I can only wonder how you will be with your very own baby brother or sister. I suspect that the two of you will be very close, and you'll be an amazing big sister. Yesterday Jennifer came walking outside with baby Wyatt, you caught sight of them, hold out your arms, and yelled, "MY BABY!!" You kisses him and helped me hold him. I can't wait for you to hold sweet little sibling... hopefully soon :)

Pig Tails

Dear Emily -

Yesterday Jen and I put pig tails in your hair for the first time, since I noticed it was finally thickening up!  Aren't you the cutest thing??  You really enjoyed them and didn't try to pull the rubberband out.  Today I put it up in a pony tail -  not as if there was really enough hair for it to work much, but it did work and cuuuuuute!!!

'morning giggles

Dear Emily -

I love morning times with you.  Just being next to you really, and as much as I enjoy having you asleep in your own bed and being able to stretch out in mind, I love having you so close to me.

On this morning in particular, you were barely awake and full of so many giggles!!

Bed Time Fun

Dear Emily,

Although you were born in water, and spent your very early years taking showers with me, you reached a point where you didn't like showers any more or even baths for that matter.You spent quite a long period of time just preferring to be wiped down with a washcloth, which worked just fine for us.  You now though, you you absolutely love water.  When I was trying to take a shower today you were trying to climb in.  You would play in the tub for hours if you could, splashing away.  I need to start bringing toys in for you. 

Running water facinates you, most especially lately.  You like to get a container, of any sort, and let it full up and dump it.  Today you loved watching the water trickle down the spout on the house, and fill your little plastic half eggs up and dump them.  You were not happy when I brought you inside, but a storm had come in and it was quite chilly outside.

Your other love, teeth brushing.  This is a great love to have!  You'd keep that toothbrush in your mouth all day if you could, chewing away.  You now have grasped the hand coordination to brush your front teeth, although we're working on the back.

Dear Emily ~

Time is moving too fast.  Your words have gotten more clear, and your humor has grown!  You love to do things that make others laugh :)  Your independence is so strong, but you're so mature and responsible in how you handle yourself.

There are times though that you throw your fits, and they make me smile.  If you dont want to be in the carseat you scream and arch your back, or if you feel you aren't being understood or listened to you voice your frustration.  Life with you is so amazing Emily, every day I feel such thanks for having you as my daughter.  I'm so proud of you!

When Wyatt was born Feb. 10th, you stayed with your dad for the entire week so I could stay and help Jen.  It is such a feeling of peace to know you are well cared for and loved, and in very good hands.  As much as you love being with your dad, it's progressively gotten more difficult to let you go.  It seemed that as soon as we fell in to our routine again together, you were gone again.  Your dad was so patient this last week and didn't question my need to hold on to you.  After a week I was fine letting you go again.  It's both the most joyful emotion to see you so happy when you're with your dad and hear about all your experiences, and so difficult to face letting you go.  But, oh Emily, what a good daddy you have.  I feel such thanks, and hope he always knows how appreciative I am of him, and thankful.

Last week we decided to split week/week.  Emotionally, for me as your mom, I think it will be easier.  I hope so.  To have one long stretch of days before you're back to playing with your dad again.  Hopefully it'll be easier for him as well.  The greatest though, is that we both love all the moments of joys you bring in to our lives each and every day.  I'm thankful that even when you're with your dad he shares so many of your events with me, and when you're with me he is truly interested to hear all you've experienced in your day.  You seem to know the tie between the two, and know we talk from our computers, since when you hear the message alert daddy says you grab him, point to the computer, and say, "Mommy!"

We decided it was time to try for a sibling for you!  Wow, to be a big sister.  Are you ready?  I think you'll be an amazing one :)