On the morning of Mary’s sixth birthday I woke up, made Mary cry, went for a run, came back and surprised her with cinnamon rolls and a gift I’d been excited about for weeks. WEEEEEE! Having kids is a wild ride! Perhaps that is an odd way to start a birthday letter. Mary will probably
Mary started preparing for her birthday weeks in advance. She decorated our house with little scraps of paper stuck in cabinet doors and along our shelves. She accessorized her stuffed animals with special clips and jewelry, and she did what Mary does best: she verbally processed. She talked about who to invite, what she would
Oh, Mary Virginia, where do I begin? I’ll begin by saying this: before I hit publish on this post, I’m going to read it and re-read it and then send it to my friend Candace to check for errors, because Mary Virginia, at age four, already corrects my grammar. “Mommy. You don’t NEED to go
I’ve been putting off this post for a long time. There are two reasons. First, I have a lot to say. A lot. Second, I’m not sure how to say it. Describing a baby every month is different than describing a toddler. And describing a toddler is different than describing Mary Virginia. I could not, would
Before I begin, I’d like to answer the two questions people keep asking me about Mary Virginia. First, Mary Virginia has been sleeping like a champion. A CHAMPION. Well, ok. Maybe not a champion, but she’s been sleeping like a normal toddler. She wakes occasionally at night, but no one is singing nursery rhymes from midnight to
If you happen to see Mary Virginia anytime soon, make sure to compliment her on her newly erupted lower incisors. She’s been working on them for several agonizing weeks, and now that they’re here, they’re her greatest accomplishment. Or maybe mine. If you’ve ever read any of Mary Virginia’s updates, you can guess what I’m about
Last week Mary Virginia turned 22 months old. I think it’s been my favorite month yet, and I’m not just saying that because I’ve gotten more sleep in the past month than I have since she was born. It’s not the only reason, but it’s certainly ONE of the reasons. Before you assume that the earth has fallen
These posts are getting harder and harder to write, and it’s not just because I’m getting lazier with each passing month. It’s because Mary Virginia as grows, she’s becoming more singular and harder to articulate. There are two things on my mind as I finally sit down to write this update, almost two weeks after she turned
Here we are, it’s February 17, and Mary Virginia is 20 months, one week and three days old. I thought about just skipping this month — I’ve done it before — but then I realized it would be a mistake. Blogging is getting harder; I have less free time during the day by and when the kids are
Every night before I go to bed, I make sure my slippers, robe, and fleece pants are right by my bed. Last week I realized, this is the milestone I can’t wait for. I’m can’t wait for the night I go to sleep without first preparing to spend a significant part of the night awake. When Mary Virginia wakes up