My Dearest Joslyn,
I can't believe it has been one whole month since our little girl entered our lives and stole our hearts.
There have been so many changes over the past month, it's hard to track them all. We know we're a lot more tired now, and a lot more busy, but we are loving every. single. waking. moment of it. You have brought such a joy to our lives, it's impossible to explain it unless you could see inside our hearts. Like your Grandpa R has told me "you only realize just how much your parents love you, when you have children of your own."
This is what we know so far.
You love to cross your feet and fold your hands on your chest. Your hair has lightened from the once dark brown you had on the day you were born. Your eyelashes are soooo long, I reckon they'll be batting at us many times in the future, for things like ponies, trampolines, and swimming pools. Whoever said that all babies are born with blue eyes, can't be right because yours are definitely brown. The volume and tone of your burps have already impressed many friends and loved ones. You get the hiccups after every meal, just as I knew you would, as I'd felt them coming from my tummy while you were growing inside of me. Your four-legged siblings stand at attention the second you start crying, and when we're holding you, they'll follow us around everywhere just to be near you.
In true fashion of every single ultrasound we had with you, you stick your tongue out at us all the time. I'm not sure you know exactly what to do with that incredibly long, yet incredibly adorable tongue of yours. (Look out Gene Simmons!) So you choose to show it off at the best of times. It has made us laugh, because your expressions are just the cutest thing ever.
You were born with a "stork bite" on your forehead, that according to Grandma R, is just like the one your mommy had when she was a baby. Yours is shaped like a heart, and if I had to guess what causes stork bites, I'd like to think that it was either God or your guardian angels in heaven (your late great-grandparents) giving you a little kiss on the forehead before sending you to be with us. Because, that is what would seem about right to me.
You have 6 very special angels watching over you. They will be there for everything you do. Just believe in them, and know that they are always there with you in spirit and that they already love you very much. One particular angel, your Great-Grandma R, was taken from us a little sooner than we'd all expected. She was so excited to learn about you, and looked so forward to meeting you. She had told us that she would be here to see you come into the world. But sometimes sweetheart, life doesn't always work out exactly as we think it will or would like it to. Great-Grandma R loved babies more than anyone I know, so I can tell you that she's been doing a whole lot of smiling down on you; proud as can be of the beautiful baby you are.
There was a moment, only a few short days after we'd brought you home from the hospital, that you'd stared up at the ceiling for a very long time with a big smile on your face. More than what seemed possible to be a coincidence, and a smile that lasted much too long at such a tender age. As I watched you, I wondered if you could see something that I was unable to. As I feel that babies hold an innocence and an aura about them that the rest of us do not, I thought it might be your great-grandma you were smiling at. Because honey, her smile was so infectious, that no one, not even a week old little one like yourself, could hold back a returning smile. :-)
Over the past month, your daddy has introduced you to trains. On a daily basis, he shows you the big train picture hanging in the office, and you love to hear the sounds the train makes. You bounce in daddy's arms and listen to the "chugga-chugga, chugga-chugga, chugga-chugga, Choooo Choooo!" sounds he makes for you. It has become such a ritual around here, that if you are fussy, he's convinced it's because you haven't had your daily train visit! (I think all this train talk could mean there's a trip on a real one being planned in your future).
Over the past few days, I've really been noticing how fast you've been growing and it's already making me a bit sad. The 0-3 month outfits that were given to you in the hospital, which were much too big when we brought you home, now fit you perfectly. From 8 pounds 5 ounces, to just over 10 pounds, I can't believe how fast you're growing before my very eyes. I'm so happy that you're a healthy growing girl, but sad that the time seems to be slipping away so fast. Your dad and I were just talking the other day about how too soon from now you'll be 18 and wanting to flee the nest. Because in the past month, of several thousand blinks, it has felt to us like only one.
With that being said Joslyn, you must know how much your daddy loves and cares for you. It is more than I can even begin to explain. But you will find out soon enough, and he will be a steadfast strength throughout your life. He loves to spend time with you, to talk to you, stay up all night with you, feed you, and even change you. Anything to do with you, and he is one hundred percent on board. It is because of his love and support, that he inspires me on a daily basis to be the best possible mommy I can be. You and I darling, are so incredibly blessed to have him.
Most importantly, what we know, is that you are our priceless gift. That you are incredibly beautiful. And that you are all ours, forever.
I'm not just Lindsay Bear anymore. You have made me a Mama Bear now too . . . and sweetheart, that is just the best thing in the world!
Love,
Your Mama Bear
