On December 3rd, your first two teeth broke through! As soon as I felt them, I cried. I knew my little baby with the gummy smile was gone.

I can't believe you're growing up so quickly.

I love you,
Mama

thanksgiving.

I am thankful for my family; my loving soul mate and my beautiful daughter.

I love you both,
Mama

I can't possibly love you anymore than I do right now.


But tomorrow, I will love you even more.

Within the last two days you have found your voice. You aren't just making noises anymore, you are forming syllables.

"ma ma ma ma ma" seems to be your favorite.

Good.

I can't wait to hear you say Mama on purpose.

I love you,
Mama

your first halloween.

You're playing with your caterpillar, so I finally have time to write about your first Halloween. On Friday, we took you to downtown Safety Harbor to trick or treat where Grandma works. Everyone ooh-ed, ahh-ed and pointed at you and your cute costume. You were pretty confused at all the starnge characters walking about, but you were a good girl. Then we went back to Grandma and Grandpa's house to carve pumpkins. Grandma and Grandpa brought back a huge pumpkin from Georgia to sit you in for pictures. At first you weren't having it, but then you decided to go along it.

Halloween day we just hung out around the house and waited for the sun to go down. You, Papa, and I all put on our costumes (you were a flower, I was a bird's nest, and Papa was grass) and waited for trick-or-treaters to come. What a let down that was; we had maybe 5 groups of kids all night.

That didn't matter, though. As long as we were all together, we were happy.

I love you,
Mama

They didn't have you where I come from
Never knew the best was yet to come
Life began when I saw your face
and I hear your laugh like a seranade

I watched your birth video again.
If I could relive one day in my life, that would be it.


I love you,
Mama

We had a lovely evening at the park yesterday. It was so beautiful outside. The air was crisp, the wind was cold, and the sun was warm. We sat in the grass, played on the trees, and discovered a tiny mushroom city. You love being outdoors. You are perfectly content just sitting in my lap and feeling the wind blow against your face.

I love you,

Mama

This is it, Joel. It's going to be gone soon.
I know.
What do we do?
Enjoy it.


The days are long but the months are short.
Slow down, please.

I love you,
Mama

my pumpkin.

On Sunday Papa and I took you to your first pumpkin patch. This farm was in the middle of nowhere, but it was better than any pumpkin patch I have ever been to. I didn't know we had places like this in Florida. It had pumpkins (obviously), a corn maze, hay rides, tree houses, and thousands of eight foot tall sunflowers. We will definitely be going there every year from now on.

I love you, Pumpkin.

Mama

my girl.

I think you're becoming a Mama's girl. You don't seem to be happy unless you are in my arms.
I love our bond.

You're the only one who knows what my heartbeat feels like from the inside.

I love you,
Mama

That's my daughter in the water, everything she owns I bought her

That's my daughter in the water, everything she knows I taught her

Everything I say, she takes to heart

Every time she takes, she takes apart

That's my daughter in the water, every time she fell I caught her

That's my daughter in the water, I lost every time I faught her

Every time she blinks, she strikes somebody blind
Everytime she thinks, blows her tiny mind
That's my daughter in the water, who'd ever thought her

The phrase 'nothing lasts forever' has been weighing heavily upon me as of late.

The beauty of my body is not measured by the size of clothing it can fit into, but by the story that it tells. I have a belly and hips that say, "We grew a child in here," and breasts that say, "We nourished life." My stretchmarks are the badges of my motherhood.

I never felt as beautiful as I did when I was pregnant with you.

I love you,
Mama

update.

Name: Stella Ray. a.k.a. Baby Bear, Gummi Bear, Honey Bear.
Age: Four months and one week old.
Weight: Nineteen pounds.
Length: Twenty-seven inches.
Clothing size: Some six to nine month, some twelve month.
Food source: Mama's milk.
Sleeping habits: You're an awesome sleeper. You take a few twenty minute naps during the day with one hour or so long nap in the late afternoon. You go to bed at about 9:00 or 9:30, nurse once or twice at night, and wake up at 8:00 or 9:00.
What is driving Mama crazy, if anything?: You are into the grabby-grabby stage. My hair, in particular. But that's okay, I still love you.
Baby milestones: You can pull yourself up into the standing position from sitting. Everything you can get your hands on goes right into your mouth. You have a new found love for chewing old cold plastic water bottles. You are developing such the pesonality of such a little lady. It's like you're a little person or something!
Favorites: toy - Luna the stuffed rat. show - Baby Einstein (baby Santa in particular). time of day - right when you wake up. pasttime - getting raspberries.

I love you,
Mama

beach.

Well we just got back from the beach and boy, did that wear you out. You didn't really even do anything, just sat there while I walked you around, put your feet in the sand and the water, and felt the wind against your face. I nursed you while we sat in the sand and you fell asleep in the shade of a palm tree.

These are from your first trip to the beach about a month ago.

And here are some from today.
                           

I can't wait to build sandcastles with you.

I love you,

Mama