We have often talked to each other about our children. I even took an entire post to talk about a play structure I built for my grand-daughter. I feel extremely close to many of you on the forum. This is something I really want to share, and I think it is encouraging to parents, grandparents, anf their children. I hope you like it. It is a letter from our daughter Stephanie intended to be read some day by her daughter Ellie. The letter was a great gift to her mother & me. I hope it reminds us all of how precious our families are. At the time of Ellie's birth her Dad was on active duty serving in a very dangerous part of Iraq. As I have mentioned, he is home now. Here is the letter from Stephanie:
"(June 4, 2005)
One year ago, at 5:29 pm, Ellie was born. I picked her up and saw the bluest pair of eyes I'd ever seen. She had thick dark hair and she was surprisingly clean for a baby that had just been born. Her skin was a little purple looking. She had a very startled expression on her face. I believe the first thing I said was "she's perfect!" The nurses helped me rub her and in a few seconds, she was crying. I was worried I would drop her as I tried to sit down and offered to give her to the nurse. The nurse said, no, I could hold her and she helped me get situated. Then the midwife clamped the cord and my mom cut it.
I loved Ellie as a newborn and I loved her as a baby. Both stages were so much fun in their own way. I love how motherhood builds on itself. If I had been handed a year old baby, I would have felt so overwhelmed. But instead, I got to start with a few basics - feed her, change her diapers, hold her. Once we had those down, she got a bit older and we learned new skills together. She learned to eat solid food and I learned to feed her. She learned to grab stuff and I learned to anticipate what she would reach for. I learned to say "no" and she learned what it means.
So I've loved this last year. I've tried hard to appreciate each stage of her life because I know you can never go back. And yet, as much as I loved that tiny, helpless baby, I am so excited to see her becoming a toddler. She walks and talks now. She dances to music. She figures stuff out. I love watching her face as she confronts a problem. I think Ellie is going to be an intense little girl. When she's happy, she is so happy - smiling and giggling. When she's mad, she gets really mad and throws stuff. It's so hard not to laugh because she is so serious.
I am so grateful to have my little girl. As I've mentioned before, my miscarriage combined with the two years it took to conceive Ellie really made me feel like I was infertile, even though I realize that it was most likely due to Joe and I being apart so much. Still, that loss has made me cherish my baby in a way that would not have been possible otherwise. This first year has been such a blessing and I can't wait for the next year to begin. I know that cutting the cord was just the beginning of Ellie becoming more and more independant. And, I know that is actually a good thing. Still, I'm her mom and I just want to freeze the little baby sleeping on her side next to me in an adorable sleeper with her hands crossed and never let her get any older. But if that happened, I'd never get to see her swim, ride a bike or have a real conversation with her. I'm so exicted for all those things that I guess it's a fair trade-off.
Happy Birthday, Ellie! You are the best thing I've ever done! I love you so much!"
"(June 4, 2005)
One year ago, at 5:29 pm, Ellie was born. I picked her up and saw the bluest pair of eyes I'd ever seen. She had thick dark hair and she was surprisingly clean for a baby that had just been born. Her skin was a little purple looking. She had a very startled expression on her face. I believe the first thing I said was "she's perfect!" The nurses helped me rub her and in a few seconds, she was crying. I was worried I would drop her as I tried to sit down and offered to give her to the nurse. The nurse said, no, I could hold her and she helped me get situated. Then the midwife clamped the cord and my mom cut it.
I loved Ellie as a newborn and I loved her as a baby. Both stages were so much fun in their own way. I love how motherhood builds on itself. If I had been handed a year old baby, I would have felt so overwhelmed. But instead, I got to start with a few basics - feed her, change her diapers, hold her. Once we had those down, she got a bit older and we learned new skills together. She learned to eat solid food and I learned to feed her. She learned to grab stuff and I learned to anticipate what she would reach for. I learned to say "no" and she learned what it means.
So I've loved this last year. I've tried hard to appreciate each stage of her life because I know you can never go back. And yet, as much as I loved that tiny, helpless baby, I am so excited to see her becoming a toddler. She walks and talks now. She dances to music. She figures stuff out. I love watching her face as she confronts a problem. I think Ellie is going to be an intense little girl. When she's happy, she is so happy - smiling and giggling. When she's mad, she gets really mad and throws stuff. It's so hard not to laugh because she is so serious.
I am so grateful to have my little girl. As I've mentioned before, my miscarriage combined with the two years it took to conceive Ellie really made me feel like I was infertile, even though I realize that it was most likely due to Joe and I being apart so much. Still, that loss has made me cherish my baby in a way that would not have been possible otherwise. This first year has been such a blessing and I can't wait for the next year to begin. I know that cutting the cord was just the beginning of Ellie becoming more and more independant. And, I know that is actually a good thing. Still, I'm her mom and I just want to freeze the little baby sleeping on her side next to me in an adorable sleeper with her hands crossed and never let her get any older. But if that happened, I'd never get to see her swim, ride a bike or have a real conversation with her. I'm so exicted for all those things that I guess it's a fair trade-off.
Happy Birthday, Ellie! You are the best thing I've ever done! I love you so much!"
Marguerite
