2 Years - Birthday Letter

Happy Birthday My Lovely Momo!

My what a year this has been for you! You have grown so much and changed so much but yet you are still so much my little baby.

The first thing that comes to mind this year has been that you now walk! I can't tell you how happy I am and how proud of you I am. I must admit now how worried I was when the doctor first started talking about how you had weak thigh muscles and ankles. My mind started to go to worst case scenarios. I had nightmares of you in a wheelchair. And while I knew logically that you would be fine and that these were just mommy fears I couldn't help but worry anyway. You're my baby... my perfect little angel and I didn't want you to be limited by anything.

So you started physical therapy and oh my how wonderful you have done! Even your therapist, Carrie, has been amazed by your progress. I was just the other day looking at a video of you in October and how you were still struggling then to walk, and now? Now you just run everywhere! You have worked so very hard and I can just see how proud of yourself you are. You have shown me that you are going to be one of those people who when they reach an obstacle in their life they give it all they got and concur it in no time. You are such a funny, happy, loving child... but you are also a fighter. You are willful and determined. And I couldn't be happier about that.

You are also smart as can be! You talk so well and sing ALL the time! It is so precious. Your vioce just melts my heart to the core. You know your ABCs, even by sight. You can count 10 with no help and almost to 20 with no help!

Your singing should be specially talked about. You know all the words to so many songs it really is very impressive. Sometimes when I'm trying to rock you to sleep you'll start to sing and have this little smile behind your pacifier (yes you sing with it in your mouth) and it'll just get me laughing. And you know what you're doing too! You love to make people laugh. So you'll sing and I'll start laughing, then you start laughing, then we both will sing and laugh. I can't even pretend to say it upsets me that you do it to stall from sleeping, because I just love it.

Your sense of humor is just hilarious. I think you'll love the 3 Stooges when you are older. You just seem to like slap stick. But you love to get people laughing. I think this has to be one of the qualities about you I love the most... although I love everything about you. But you are such a sweet heart. So genuinely loving and want to make people smile. How can that not be a favorite quality? :) Whenever we get home from work you run to the gate at the top of the stairs and yell "DADDY!!! MOMMMYYYY!!!" Big grin on your face and stompin your feet and giggling and smiling. We come up and you will take turns running to us saying our names. You love to play games that get giggles too. You will shut the door to your room and then knock and say "Who is it?" And then open the door and say "Hello!" Or you'll hold your arm up to our mouths and we are supposed to play bite onto your shirt and grrrr like a puppy.

You are also such a stinker! :) So defiant and willful. But I love that too. You will look me in the eye and then run off and do something you know you aren't supposed too... like color on the walls! :)

I think if I had to pick something about you that really makes me happy however it is the cuddles. You will ask for hugs and kisses and just back up into my lap with a book to read and cuddle. You are very very lovey. And that's a good thing cause if you didn't like to cuddle I'd probably annoy you a lot.

Anyway, at 2 years old you are already an amazing little girl who has won my heart completely. You are my best friend. I love you so much.

Happy birtday my love.

Birthday Letter (Year 1)

Dear Moya,

Today is your birthday. This year has gone so very very fast. But I have loved getting to know you and watching you grow. First let me apologize, I wanted so badly to do for your birthday what we did for your sister's first birthday. I had hoped to rent a beach house and have you surrounded by family. Unfortunately both daddy and I lost our jobs recently so money became an issue. :( But I hope you know that even if we couldn't do a huge shindig for you this year that we wanted to and we tried our best to make it special for you. And I promise to make it up to you. :)

However as far as you were concerned you seemed to be having a great day today! You really LOVE your decorations. You keep pointing at them and smiling and saying "Dat!" and then looking to us as if to share it with us.

We took you to a pizza place called Flying Saucer Pizza. You brought your own food but tried ours and of course loved everything. We then had to stop by target to buy you a new booster seat because the tray on your's broke (actually you broke it with your super strength). :)

Next we went home and did the cake tradition which was so fun to watch! You got into it and were a wonderful wonderful mess! I think you were just so amazed to have freedom to just go to town on your food. You got cake everywhere and were not happy when I made you get clean.

We opened some presents which you liked but liked the wrapping paper more. So far you got stacking cups for the bath which you loved, a pooh-bear from Gaga, and a Jack Skellington from your sister. You also got a fun towel and a key board. You have more presents yet to open. As I am writing this you are taking a nap.... to much excitement and cake. :)

As fast as this year has gone you have learned and grown so much. You may not be talking yet but I feel I know you well already. The first thing I think about when I think of my Moya is your amazing smile and laugh. You are a crazily happy baby. Your smile just envelops your entire face and your laugh is just heartwarming. You smile all the time and even have a little bouncy happy dance you do. You smile at just about anything but if we really want to get an easy smile out of you we just have Belle say hi to you. You LOVE your sister. I hope that you two only grow closer as you get older.

You also I should note love food. Your sister has never had much love for food so it was weird at first having a kid who loves it so much. You'll try anything and there is very little you don't like. It's nice to have a baby foody in the house. But it can be a challenge too. No one can really eat in front of you without you having a fit for what they have. Belle has been really sweet with sharing her cookies with you in the car and feeding you your little puffs you like. But if one of us is holding you and eating something we have to watch out or you will grab it! So far the only thing you don't like is juice and avocado you're so-so about. I have made all your baby food since you were 6 months old and you love to be in the kitchen while I cook it. After it is mushed up I would always give you little tastes tests. And on Christmas you got to try all the cookies I made! I joke that you must be Julia Child reincarnated. We'll see if your love for food continues.

This year you have learned to sit, to roll, you are starting to try and crawl... kinda do this inch worm crawl thing... and you can stand while holding on to someone for awhile. You are trying so hard to talk like I mentioned, and are starting to show preferences for toys and songs. But mostly you are just a joy to be around. You are so friendly to everyone. Taking you to the store is hilarious, you just smile and wave at everyone you see. It's like you are a politician running for office!

I hope you have had a good first year of life. I know I have just loved getting to know you. I love our times together this year playing, cooking, and our play times in the bath. Oh you love your baths now. You hated them as a new born but they are your favorite time of the day now. You grew out of your baby bathtub and now have a little seat you sit in in the tub. Sometimes I get in with you and we play with toys, blow bubbles, splash, and play peak-a-boo with your puppy dog finger puppet you got for Christmas. I love this time with you so very much. I love washing your hair and putting the soap bubbles on my nose and you pointing at it and wiping it off. I love seeing you play with your cups and the bath books which you love. It is just you and me time with no distractions.

This next year will be another big one for you. This year you will learn to walk and talk better. You'll probably grow more teeth, and your amazing hair will undoubtedly get longer. Oh I should talk about your hair and eyes for a moment. Your hair is a light brown like your Daddy's. You had a ton of it at birth, more then Belle did even, but instead of it just growing longer it kinda stopped but then you had all this new hair come in under it. So you have short hair but loads of it! It also has a bit of a curl to it which is so cute. It reminds me of the 1920s popular hair styles for women. Your eyes are really unique. I still can't decide what color to call them. Sometimes they look very green like your Daddy's, sometimes they look like a gray blue. Gaga calls them mood eyes. Typically they are kinda a hazel color. They remind me of the Pacific Ocean. Whatever color you want to call them they are lovely. :) All and all you look more like your Daddy but I see a little of me in there too. You also look some like your sister of course. But mostly you are just my beautiful Moya.

The past 3 months I have been lucky enough to be home with you. As I mentioned I lost my job, which that isn't a good thing but the up side is I got to speed more time with you. You and your sister are the entire world to me. I miss you so much when I'm not with you two so having this extra time with you, while stressful financially was a blessing still. I hope you always know that no matter what your mother loves you more then there are stars in the sky. That there is nothing I wouldn't do for you and that I will always be there for you. Your Daddy and I worship the ground you crawl on and everything we do we do for you and Belle. I love you with all my heart. I know I will make mistakes raising you. I'll yell at you when I shouldn't, I'll say the wrong things, I may even turn my back at the wrong time resulting in you getting a boo-boo. But I promise you that I will always do my best, will always say sorry when I mess up, will always have your best interests at heart, and will always kiss any ouchy you have.

I love you Moya Grace. Happy birthday my sweet and many MANY MANY MANY more happy returns.

Now I'm going to go give you a kiss.

Love,

Mommy