Irish Babies Rule

Dear Elizabeth,

We went to the Irish fair in June. You had an entire entourage with you. You got lots of cute Irish baby stuff were by far the prettiest one there. You danced with Nana O to the Irish music in the Pub Tent and you were a big hit among the older ladies in the crowd (as you always are). Mommy drank Guinness and Daddy had fish & chips. We both decided to take you to Ireland as soon as possible. We want you to be able to remember it. You will be a well travelled baby.

Bassinet Blues

Dear Elizabeth,

For the first few months of your life you slept on the couch in your "boppy." You didn't want to hear anything about a bassinet or laying flat on your back. Whoever had baby duty that night slept downstairs with you. Aunt Carolyn thought of putting the boppy in the bassinet and it bought us a few nights of relief, but you soon rebelled against this too. It is hard to understand because you would sleep on the bed in the boppy, on the couch in the boppy, but not in the bassinet in the boppy. I have a feeing you are going to be very particular for the rest of your life.

First Bath!

Dear Elizabeth,

Your umblical cord fell off when you were exactly a week old. That night you had your first bath. Grandma Mary and Nana O came over to help. You did not struggle at all and really seemed to like it. We had an obnoxious little claw foot spa tub that I had fallen in love with while pregnant. You continued to love bathtime for a few months and then screamed until your limbs turned blue after that. It took a while to bring you back to a love of water, but now (at 6 months) you once again enjoy a bath. You just figured out how to splash a few days ago. You really are adorable.

Nurseries

Dear Elizabeth,

Your Father worked for two days to prepare your nursery. He still makes fun of the "fuscia" color I had on the walls. He painstakingly touched up the mouldings with a painters brush and paid more attention to detail than I had ever seen him do before. He was very excited; anticipating your arrival. I slept in the nursery for the last month. Your Father snores loudly and my 20 pillows left little room for him in the bed. I truly enjoyed my time in your room. The colors are calming and the room was very peaceful with the snow falling outside. Occasionally I would hear fog horns in the morning. I rested better than I thought possible in that room. When you first came home you seemed to really like being in there. I hope that continues.

P.S.

Seamus loved hanging out in your room too!

Baking and Babies

Dear Elizabeth,

With the impending snow storm rattling everyone's cages, I thought it best that you and I have some down time. We were supposed to bake together but then your vibrating seat lulled you off to dream land and left me by my lonesome. We (I) made some food for the weekend and brownies.
It was nice to relax with you. I had a glass of wine, you had a binky. I mixed batter, you filled some diapers. It made me look forward to teaching you how to bake (or follow the instructions on the back of the box). It also afforded me some time and realization that this won't always be so intense.
Too bad you can't have any brownies, they came out pretty good.

All Smiles Here

Dear Elizabeth,

You have begun to interract a lot more. You are smiling and cooing. I love when you make eye contact and how your entire face changes when you smile. That little toothless mouth opens wide and anything that bothered me that day is suddenly gone.

You stare intently at my mouth when I talk and I believe you are trying to mimic me. You are definitely testing out your mouth muscles and figuring out your tongue. You are very curious and stare intently at lights and a certain corner of the living room, which freaks out your father and I.

I have a feeling you will be talking early and once you start we won't be able to shut you up. As excited as I am about you communicating with me, I know better than to rush through these more quiet times. It is starting to sink in a little more that I am not only a mother, but I am YOUR mother. Crazy stuff; wouldn't trade it for the world.

Grandpa Floyd's Craziness

Dear Elizabeth,

I have dedicated an entire letter to Grandpa Floyd's photoshopping. He is dangerous with family pictures. The Telletubby one is my absolute favorite.

I dug up an old picture of him from his "Vietnam Days". He looks more like a conscientious objector to me.