Sweet Maryn,
Well, I am busted. I wrote your birthday letter early last year because I was just so excited and wouldn’t you know that you started walking a week before your birthday. So I am including it here! J
If I tried, I could have never imagined how wonderful this year was going to be. I think my biggest fear this year, with Dylan on the way, was that you were going to be neglected or feel left out in some way. Grandmama told me several times that you would not even remember a time without Dylan in your life. I know this is true, but I wouldn’t know what to do with the guilt. However, this never seemed to be the case. If anything, Dylan was the one on the floor amusing himself. I didn’t take into account the fact that you were so mobile and could go where you pleased, often times this being our lap. Your Daddy and I caught ourselves many times holding you in our lap and catching a glimpse of Dylan on the floor wondering if he felt neglected. I can only hope that as you are reading through your letters that you and Dylan both can feel in your hearts how much you were loved by us. I definitely stopped trying to be perfect this year, and gave up expectations of how things should be. Instead I tried hard to just be okay with things as they were and I have to tell you that having the both of you in my life has not been as hard as I was expecting.
You have been just so amazing with your little brother. Seeing you dote on him is the highlight of my day. There didn’t seem to be a time that you thought his presence was strange. I think the hardest part for me was being apart from you while I was in the hospital. You stayed with Granny and I thought about you every second, at least until the labor started! I missed you terribly during that time.
This year has been an amazing adventure of accomplishments for you. You, obviously, started walking. After that it just seemed like a flood. Every day brought something new. I absolutely love to hear you talk and sing. I love watching you dance and laugh. It just hits me like a brick wall to see what a big girl you are becoming everyday. Most people who see you seem surprised at how well you talk and the things you know at your age. You are such a smart little girl and we are often astonished at the things you remember. You could go to anyone’s house and weeks later you would say “papa owl” because he had an owl sitting on his fence, or “paw-paw dog” for his big dog, Max. We went to the zoo with Aunt Jamie and Payton. When we went to see the tiger, you just loved him. Fortunately, we were able to see him take a great big dump right before our very eyes. I really wish I would have just taken a picture of it because for weeks all you wanted to see was “kitty cat poo-poo outside”. You can easily name people from looking at pictures and you are great with memorizing songs and dance movements to go along with them. I could go on and on. Let’s just say we are simply amazed by you!
This year you have taken to watching movies. Your favorite came about during an ice storm. We couldn’t go anywhere, so we rented Garfield. After that day, I cannot begin to count the number of times we have seen that movie. I could be in the other room and know exactly what part of the movie was on by your commentary. After about a bazillion times we decided to purchase another movie, Bambi, which you liked equally as well. However now, you generally request to watch “Bambi Deer”, while Dylan is far more interested and content watching Garfield.
I mentioned in the last letter that I may have more to say about the mess of eating. I really don’t. I have realized after Dylan has come along, that you are simply neater. I never realized how neat until he recently started eating. I can only say I am thankful I have one neat one or else I would never leave the kitchen! You are so cute though when you are both eating, you will slide little things over for Dylan to have. You are just so adorable.
Don’t get me wrong though, ever day with Dylan is not all hugs and kisses. You have given your share of bruises! For the most part you are doting and kissing, trying to “hold baby”, but there have been rough times too. The first time you sat on him I was in the kitchen and Dylan was in his bouncy in the living room. You just crawled right in on top of him. Man that scared the day lights right out of me. It generally goes in stages. When Dylan started crawling, you thought he was your own personal pony. Every time I would peek in on you playing in your room you were sitting on him. I got to where I could tell by the sounds coming from your bedroom if you were sitting on him, tackling him, or had locked him in your closet. Now that he is walking you love to put your hands on his shoulders and walk behind him. This usually leads to him falling and then you laugh and tackle. I can tell you are so anxious for Dylan to be as mobile as you are and I cannot wait to see the two of you playing together through the next year.
I just can’t say enough about how great you have been this year. You are so loving and affectionate. I love getting big hugs and kisses from you! Daddy has been a special part of your year. With Dylan around Daddy has been doing a lot more with you so I can take care of Dylan. One habit that has stuck is Daddy putting you to bed. This is what you have come to expect. I think it is so sweet. When bedtime comes we all walk down the hall together. You kiss Dylan, and then me. Daddy takes you to your room to say your special prayers and I take Dylan to his. If you wake in the middle of the night because of a dream or not feeling well, Daddy jumps up like a flash to go take care of you. The general mumbling that all new parents go through like “again”, “I was just in there two seconds ago” has subsided and now become what is wrong and how can I fix it. It is really very cute. You have started referring to him as “my daddy”. You will say “look at that my daddy”, and “bye-bye my daddy”. I know he beams when you say that!
We are at the end of your second year now. We have yet to really begin potty training, much to the dismay of several relatives. And you still use your paci for sleeping. After doing much research, I have decided to believe the notion that “no child goes to kindergarten with a paci and diapers” and leave it up to you with some encouragement from Mommy and Daddy. I should also mention that you moved into your big girl bed without a single problem. It was a bittersweet day for Mommy and Daddy. Daddy still clung onto laying you down in bed versus letting you crawl in by yourself for a while.
Happy birthday my sweet little girl! Everyday with you has been such a blessing and I cannot wait to see how you progress over the next year. It seems like just the other day that I was writing your first letter. It really is sad to know that kindergarten really is right around the corner.
Notes (1 year – 2 years):
1. First fall off the sofa. Scary, but not a major incident.
2. First trip to the ER. Man, you just starting throwing up all over. Daddy and I just kept cleaning it off the floor when it dawned on us to get some kind of pan to hold by you! New parents can be morons sometimes! Daddy took you to the ER. You looked so sad and pale. Nothing was wrong and thank God you have not had any more episodes like that.
3. Lack of communication causes some irritability. You have gotten very good at pointing and helping Mommy and Daddy figure out what you want though.
4. Your worst moments by far have been teething.
5. You love to hold Dylan’s hand when we are in the car and you give him tons of kisses.
6. Special bye-bye. When you were learning to wave bye-bye you developed your own way of doing it. You just used your thumb and finger. Everyone thought that was so cute.
7. Big Move to Florida – 7/2004
8. Special “shh” when Dylan sleeps. Mommy and Daddy were trying to teach you to talk quietly while Dylan is sleeping by showing you the “shh” sign. Your own version was a full “farmer blow” with mouth closed, finger on one nostril and blowing out the other.
9. You make your rounds of night-night kisses, but Dylan always comes first.
10. At 14 months, you know so many words I have lost count, you love to dance, and go swimming in the pool. Dr. said you can eat anything, but I am pretty certain buffalo sauce is not one of them. This little discovery brought to you by your Daddy!
11. Bath Time Hugs. Whenever Daddy or I rinse the shampoo out of your hair (the barbaric way not by choice because you refuse to lie down anymore), the first thing you do is stand straight up and give a hug. We have learned to wear a towel around our shoulders. This habit has stayed with you this whole year.
12. Hurricane Charley – 8/13/2004 - we rode that one out. You slept for the most part. Then after it was over, we went to Jacksonville to stay with some friends since we lost power.
13. Trip to Memphis, just you and Daddy.
14. Hurricane Francis – 9/4/2004 - drove back to Jacksonville!
15. Hurricane Ivan – 9/11/2004 . We took our first trip to the beach to see Aunt Jamie, Uncle Ben, and Payton in Myrtle Beach, SC.
16. Hurricane Jeanne – 9/26/2004 - the final straw. We decide to move out of Florida.
17. At 18 months you are so pleasant, funny and smart.
18. Moving to Georgia – 10/29/2004 .
19. Travel Buddies! You and Dylan have been so great during our many travels this year. It took us 10 hours to get to Myrtle Beach and we were just dreading how you guys would handle it. We got there with not a single complaint.
20. At 20 months you moved into your big girl bed so Dylan could have your crib, you are starting to repeat what we say and are better able to communicate your needs. You love animals and all the sounds they make. Santa Claus became the new enemy.
21. You got a tricycle for Christmas from Grandmama and Papa Bear. For weeks you would say “tricycle” perfectly. Somehow it turned into “tricycle-cycle-cycle”. I guess you like this way better. When you said it your tongue would go in and out of your mouth like you had a lisp.
22. You love to sing Winnie the Pooh, Twinkle Star, basically anything we sing to you can be repeated. For instance you loved to chant “boom shaka laka” and “millions of peaches, peaches for me, millions of peaches, peaches for free”. But, my personal favorite where your sad ABC’s. I used to sing them the regular way, and then you would say in your sad voice that you didn’t want me to sing it. So I started singing them in a sad voice and you loved it. From that point on your ABC’s would be sung in the saddest voice you could muster.
23. At 23 ½ months, you know all your ABC’s, and can count to 10 usually proceeded with some kind of jumping. You are doing plenty by yourself and I keep waiting for the terrible 2’s to present itself. So far, so good. You love it when Mommy climbs in your bed after your nap. I love it too, just lying there chatting with you. You’ve actually gone to the potty a handful of times and now you will have absolutely nothing to do with the potty.
24. At 24 months, you know most colors. You are jumping with two feet which totally fascinates you, you love playing in your new sandbox and swinging in the swing set Daddy built for you. You have learned that whenever you have something that Dylan wants to look at to immediately try to avert his attention to another toy of your choosing or run to the big green chair where he can not reach you. This is beginning to not pay off for you as time goes on and I am interested to see what will happen when he can no longer be bribed! One of your favorite terms is “no, no Dilly this is my (fill in the blank)”. You have taken claim to literally everything. “no, no dilly this is my poo-poo”, “no, no dilly this is my night-night”, “no, no dilly this is my time-out” and everything else including food, toys or anything attached to your body!
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