Dear Avonlea,
It's midnight. I should probably go to bed, because the night is short, and you'll be raring to go in a few short hours. But I just fed you, and now I can't sleep.
I can't sleep, my girl, because I am in awe of you.
As I was looking at you while you nursed, I just had an overwhelming feeling of peace and happiness. And I just had to come and write it down, because sometime in the near future, I am going to have a very specific moment of UNhappiness. And I am going to wish for peace with every fiber of my being. And before that happens, I want to make sure I write this down so that I can return to it and remind myself of the wonder that is you.
Little girl, I love every single little thing about you.
The way your hair gets crazy on both sides after you nap because you sleep on your tummy.
The way you cross your feet when you sit, and it makes you look like a little lady.
The way you stick your tongue out when you encounter something new, and your little brain is just working, working, working to figure it out.
Your soft skin. Often, I will just "pet" your arms and legs while you nurse just to feel the softness.
Your eyelashes, and how sometimes, I wonder how they don't get tangled in your eyebrows, they're so long.
That little pointer finger that is always the first to explore something new, and how you just pick, pick, pick at that something. Just the other day, you worked on a sticker for 20 minutes, stick, unstick, stick, unstick.
How, when you're laying on the floor, and you can't hold yourself up on all fours anymore, you flop onto your belly, arch your back, put your arms and legs in Superman pose, and then pump them back and forth, like an upside down turtle. You'll crawl soon, little girl.
Your little giggle, usually reserved, but released at full strength when you're being thrown in the air, "thrown up on", or "stepped on". You're going to be a daredevil.
The way your little tongue is working so hard to form new sounds, and how you are fascinated with my teeth.
How, even though you can't crawl, you can still manage to get from one side of the room to the other with your cute little roll.
And how you get stuck under the coffee table and cry for me to rescue you.
Your little tooth that has popped in, and how I hear it scraping on all your toys as you figure out what this new invader in your mouth is.
The cute little "inny" belly button you have that always looks a little bit dirty (just like mommy's).
The way you wipe your entire face when you want to itch your nose--the way that mommy and Aunt Ashley do that drives Daddy crazy.
The way your little cheeks get super-pink if it's too windy, or you eat something new, or you get too hot--you always look like a little cherub.
I even love the things about you that can be kind of irritating, like how scratchy your nails seem to be *all the time*, or how you always seem to have sock fuzz between your toes, no matter how well I wash.
For these reasons, and so many more, I praise God for the wonder that He has given me. You are my treasure, little one. But more importantly, you are God's treasure. You were created in His image, and He made you just the way He wanted you to be. I want you to know how much I adore you. You may not always like everything about yourself. You may hate your hair, or your nose, or your eyelashes, or the way you do something--I remember feeling that way about myself many times. But, little girl, today I want to tell you that you are perfect just the way you are.
I'm so glad I get to be your Momma.
