Dear Haley

Dear Haley,

You have no idea how much we have in common.  Despite you absolutely wearing me out on a daily basis, I have to giggle at the genes you were lucky enough to inherit.  

~You wake up in the best moods, laughing and ready to face the day.

~You will eat anything we give you.  In fact, you love anything spicy, including pickled okra and salsa.  You love edamame ("pops"), pizza, corn on the cob, filet mignon, and ketchup.  I love watching you try new foods and making "yum" noises!

~You are stubborn strong-willed.  If at first you don't succeed, you try, try, try, and try again, and are very resistant to help from others.  I have to phrase my help as, "Let's do this together," so that you won't be admitting you need help.  For instance, you love unzipping things but sometimes struggle. So, I have to hold your tiny fingers and un-zip things "together". 

~You are VERY smart.  (Just like your momma!?!)  You can follow directions and are eager to show off how much you understand.  We can tell you to "Go get some wipes out of the basket, bring me one, and we will wipe up this mess together," and like a flash, you do exactly what we ask.  It's like you have a lightbulb above your head going off, and you get SO excited.

~You haven't stopped moving since the day you were born.  Even when sitting on the couch to watch t.v., you still wiggle around constantly.  Don't ask me why, but I think we get this from your great-grandma Susie Blackman.  She was always in motion.  

~You love to have your hair fixed.

Check out those cute bows!

~Hugging isn't really your thing, but you are learning the value of a good hug.  I can count on one hand how many times you have wrapped your tiny arms around me, but each time, you get better and better. You seem a little resistant to hugs.  We are both learning!

Ah, at least pretend you want to hug!

~ You are eager to be just like your sister.  In fact, you already want to use the potty and wear panties like her.  I'm just not quite ready to let you out of diapers yet, even though you have tinkled several times now in the potty and are definitely ready to be potty-trained.  I think my sister is pretty cool too, and I try to do things just like her even to this day!

But, my adorable Haley, there is one thing you do that drives me CRAZY.  I think you get it from your dad...Anyway, you love water.  Running water, puddles of water, bathtubs full of water, water from the water fountain, dumping cups full of water on the floor, watering plants that don't need water, and especially toilet water, you love it all.  I have to follow you around all day cleaning up your water messes.  Isn't it getting old yet!?!

You are already more comfortable in the water than you momma!

Oh, and Haley, I can't wait for you to start talking in sentences.  You have a few words and are really trying.  Keep it up!  Mama, up, duck, bike, bawoon (balloon), and some animal sounds are about it right now.  Maybe in a few months, you'll be able to tell me why you can't stop moving.

Love, 

Momma