Dear Gem – Month 3

You found your voice this month. It started with little coos, sweet little ooohs and aahs. Every once in a while you would giggle or laugh or even squeal. Then in the past couple weeks you really took off. The vowel sounds are studded with consonants. Complex “words” with multiple syllables, each syllable turning on a consonant. It’s amazing to watch, and you seem to enjoy it as well as there seems to be several squeals of delight in each of our conversations.
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I love our little conversations.  I can talk to you, and I have your undivided attention.  I know that wont last forever.  In fact, I’ll probably start losing your attention as soon as you start understanding what I’m saying.  But for the time being, we’re having a lot of fun.
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You’ve started to play, too.  You used to just sit in your bouncy seat or swing, and occasionally you would watch the toys dangling over head.  Now you reach out and bat at them.  You’ve discovered that one of them will circle right over the top of the bar and get stuck up there if you hit it hard enough.  You spend a lot of time trying to hit it hard enough.

This morning I sat on the bathroom sink with you in my lap, and you got to play with the little girl in the mirror. You’ve seen her before, we take you to see her all the time. But today, you had a conversation with her.  Oh, my, such happy babies.

One of your favorite things to do is to stand up in my lap.  These days I just help you with balance, your legs are so strong, you don’t need me to provide any lift at all.  These are the times we usually have our conversations, with you standing in my lap.

We’ve discovered that you really like to be around other people.  One day while we were having our little talk the kids outside were playing extra loudly.  You turned your head and yelled at the window.  I’m not quite sure what you said to those kids, but you sure looked happy when you said it.  That’s when it occurred to me that you really don’t spend enough time around other kids. We’re going to try to do something about that.  I’ve started taking you to story time at the local book store, you really seem to enjoy that.  We’ll find some other activities for you too.  That will be a little easier once we are able to get a car.

We’ve had some adventures this month. Both Grandmas came out and spent a Sunday with us, and then we went to visit Grandma Candy (Mommy’s Grandma) a couple times too.
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Saturday we went to the Seattle Iranian Festival and you absolutely loved it.  This was the first opportunity for many of our friends to meet you – and they all just fell in love with you, and you beamed back at them with your room-lighting smiles.
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Sunday was Fathers Day. We stayed home and had lots of family cuddle time.  Daddy read all the children’s books in the house to you in one sitting.  I think we’re going to have to get more.  You really enjoy story time.
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I’m so proud of the little girl you are becoming and I’m so happy that I get to be your Mommy.

I love you

Mommy.

Read more Letters to Gem.