Letter #6

Dear Evalyn, O my sweet baby girl. Today you and I had a mommy/daughter date and it was amazing. You are almost two years old and you have become an incredible ball of personality. Since Loreli speaks enough for all of us, you are taking your time with expressing yourself in words. During our alone time together I noticed at the beginning, you made your faces and usual noises in the car. When we got to the mall you started whispering to me and by the time we got home you were trying to say more. The alone time showed me that you just need a chance to speak and find your words. I very much enjoyed our time together. We shared pizza and potatoes, which you loved. It's almost comical how you are so incredibly tiny yet you eat constantly and will eat just about everything in sight. After pizza we enjoyed a ride on the carousel. You were nervous and held me close, but I put you on a horse that rode up and down and once the ride got going, your smile went from ear to ear. I will absolutely remember that ride for the rest of my life. It was only you and I, no one else existed. We tried out the new play area at the mall and took photos together and then did some shopping for Christmas. Each of you girls continue to amaze me with how different your personalities are. I especially love your beautiful smile and tiny hands. Holding your little hands just melts my heart. And your giggle is enough to pull anyone up on their darkest day. Thank you so much for our special time today Evalyn. As much as I wish that I could stop time and keep you girls little forever, you are growing into a beautiful little girl and I cannot wait to see more of your personality shine through. Loving you always and forever, Mommy

Letter # 5

Dear Evalyn, Hello my big girl!! You are now one and a half years old! In the last six months you have completely changed and gone on a roller coaster of development. Right now you are in what I like to call the "fun" stage. You are discovering all of the fun ways to play with toys and entertain yourself, but you don't yet have the attitude and talking back that your older sister has. You LOVE to giggle and spend countless hours just giggling away at anything and everything. You are now starting defend yourself when your older sister tries to take a toy. There are times that I can see a little attitude brewing inside, and you like to try to get away with things as you flash your huge smile, as if your cuteness makes it all okay. You most definitely love your older sister. You were recently moved up to the same room that Loreli is in at daycare and she takes great care of you by showing you how to play with the toys, making sure you don't escape from the room and protecting you when she feels you need it. I was shocked by all of this because you are both still so young, but you are there for each other in every way possible. Your appetite has also changed dramatically. A year ago we struggled to get you to keep anything down and now we can't put the food in fast enough! And you love nearly everything we give you, which is great! You can't get enough of fruit and vegetables and this makes Mommy so happy! After what a struggle your first year was, it is such a relief to see you flourishing in all of these ways. Grandma Mary and I are pretty convinced you are a genius. You may not be full blown talking yet but you surprise us nearly every day with what you know. You can do things that not even the 2 or almost 3 year olds can do like stacking rings in the correct order or putting things together after taking them apart. I can't wait to see what type of accomplishments you will continue to achieve. There is no doubt that Daddy and Grandma Mary are your favorite people. If either one of them is around you always insist on being in their arms. Even though you are no longer a baby and becoming a big girl, I have a feeling you will always find that Daddy and Grandma Mary will cuddle with you. You are about to lose your status in our family as the baby. Any day now you will be the little/big sister! It's important in your new role as big sister to baby Charlotte that you show her the same love and caring that Loreli has shown you, and continue to do that throughout your lives. The three of you will have a bond that no one else in the world can touch. Loving you forever, Mommy

Letter # 4

Dear Evalyn, My sweet little Nugget you are a year old!!! I cannot believe that this day is here. This year has been an incredible one full of times we weren’t sure of how to do what was best for you and times that were priceless full of joy and happiness. You were so incredibly tiny when you born and early on you developed colic and acid reflux. It took months to find the right doctor and the right methods to keep you happy and stable but once we did figure everything out, you began to flourish and develop so quickly. I feel like you have come such a far way in such a short amount of time. Within the last two months you have gone from barely being able to sit up by yourself to pulling yourself up while hanging onto things and you are so close to walking! You also went from being completely toothless to now having four teeth and two coming in! You just learned how to clap and I can tell your first word will be coming any day now as you are always mimicking peoples lip motions and trying to get something out. You and your big sister Loreli have become so incredibly close in your first year. You two never cease to amaze me with your communication and love. At any time your sister is not around you are constantly looking for her. You enjoy watching her and it’s so interesting to see how you want to do everything she does. I know that as you two get older there will be plenty of time of arguing and competition, but as you are so close in age you really have had a strong loving bond since the day you were born. As we come to the end of your first year and you are officially turning one year old, I just want to let you know how much we love you. Every day you add light and love to our lives and we are so excited for what your future holds. Happy first birthday to my little Nugget. Loving you forever, Mommy