It brings tears to my eyes every time I think about time. It passes so quickly. While she is only 18 months, and I find myself scratching my head wondering where the time went--I will soon be scratching my head wondering were 18 years went. And that is the scariest thing in the world to me.
And when I think forward to that time, I wonder what I will want to remember 18 years from now (or 16 1/2 years from now I should say).
First, I want to remind myself--I am doing the best I can possible be. As mothers, we are hard on ourselves. And I don't exactly have a cheer-leading squad patting me on the back congratulating me on my hard work telling me I am a rock-star mother. Who does? But I am doing my very best. I take in the moment. And I give her every ounce of love and patience I have. Too often we focus on mistakes made and what we could improve on. I want to tell future self, that I am doing the best I can--and to get off my own back.
This is Haley, 18 months old. I rarely catch pictures of her laughing or smiling. In those moments, I find that I am too busy laughing and smiling as well to remember to point and shoot with the camera.
Everyday, I find myself in awe of your vocabulary and your love for knowledge. Each day, we spend time reading books, doing flash cards, and practicing sign language. At 18 months, you know at least 100 words and can sigh about 10-20 words. These are your favorite activities with mom and dad. Well you like to wrestle and cuddle a little with dad, but mostly you love books.
You also have this tent that you are in love with. You don't just sit in it though, you roll around in it and move it throughout the house. It makes you laugh so hard. You also really enjoy Spencer. I hope that being around him develops a love and compassion for children with special needs. You said his name clearly for the first time and I could tell he was glowing with joy. He loves you and adores you and I hope he remains in your life and you can continue to help each other grow.
Your favorite TV show is Cailou. You ask for it by name. The kid in the show whines way too much and his parents are unrealistically patient. But you love it, so we let you watch a little each day. You also like Sesame Street and are a huge fan of Elmo.
You are a good eater but you definitely want to feed yourself. Sometimes you will let dad feed you, but you rarely let me. You love cheese and eggs currently. And fruit. Lots and lots of fruit. You have recently started turning your nose up to vegetables, but this too will pass eventually. You are a big fan of cookies and crackers and can ask for both by name and with sign language. The other day you put two signs together asking for more crackers! I was so impressed!
Your sleep patterns are amazing. You still sleep 12 hours a night. You go to bed between 7 and 8 every night and sleep until about 7. Then you take at-least one nap a day for about 1hr-1.5 hrs. You will often take yourself into your room and ask for "ni-ni time" when you are tired. I have rarely had to fight you on naps.....You still sleep with a pacifier and a pink bear. These two are a requirement. The pacifier has really got to go soon. I got a special one that shouldn't mess up your teeth, but still. For whatever reason, you have been a pacifier girl since birth.
You are a busy girl. You don't like to sit still long. I am the same way so I understand it. Daddy is trying real hard to find someone to build a fence so you can be outside more and get that energy out. You are happiest when you can just go-go-go. I have learned to not fight it as much and just give you plenty of time to go-go-go. You also love being outside and you will ask to go "side" when you want to go play.
You often congratulate yourself on random tasks. You do this by throwing your hands up and saying "YAYYYYYYYYYY!" and also clapping. When you are angry or frustrated you get the ugly face cry going and stop your feet. The tantrums get better as your ability to communicate gets better. You mostly get angry when you are either tired or restless or both.
I absolutely love you. You are a perfect combination of Ian & me with your own little style. You bring our little family together and provide us with constant joy.`
P.S. The cut on your forehead is from Grandma's house. We were visiting for dinner and you were trying to jump on this big pillow that and smacked your forehead right on the fireplace. It bleed pretty bad-and you cried. That was your first big "injury".
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