{"id":2436,"date":"2010-12-01T00:50:28","date_gmt":"2010-12-01T07:50:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/coffeejitters.net\/blog\/?p=2436"},"modified":"2014-07-05T18:36:11","modified_gmt":"2014-07-06T01:36:11","slug":"dear-gem-month-20","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/coffeejitters.net\/blog\/2010\/12\/01\/dear-gem-month-20\/","title":{"rendered":"Dear Gem – Month 20"},"content":{"rendered":"

You still sleep in that half crawl position with your butt up in the air, and your face plastered against the mattress. I love watching you sleep, but I seldom get to do it anymore.<\/p>\n

I try to sneak into your room to peek on you, but I’m such a klutz these days, and you’re such a light sleeper that you’re on your feet before I get to the middle of the room. Then the following scene plays out:<\/p>\n

YOU: Mama?<\/p>\n

ME: Yes, Baby.<\/p>\n

YOU: Hug?<\/p>\n

Whereupon I melt into a puddle on the floor.<\/p>\n

That scene plays out several times a day: in the living room, in your room, while we’re out for a walk, when you don’t want to go to bed… Yeah, I’m a sucker ~ But your cuteness hasn’t gotten you out of taking a nap. Yet. \u00a0I am, however, loving all these hugs and kisses.<\/p>\n

\"027\"<\/a><\/p>\n

To be honest, most of the time you are really good about going to bed. I can’t believe how lucky I am. \u00a0Daddy and I are both night owls, so we don’t like to get up too early in the morning. That’s means you don’t go to bed till 11 at night so you will sleep in till 10 the next morning. \u00a0Yay for me getting to sleep in. \u00a0It was also handy for those chemo days when I wasn’t strong enough to take care of you all by myself. \u00a0My friends that helped take care of you would show up around 10 or 11 and stay until you took your afternoon nap at 3. \u00a0Then Daddy would come home by the time you woke up from your nap. \u00a0It worked out quite well, but the chemo is no longer an issue – I’m all done with chemo! Double Yay!<\/p>\n

But when we do put you to bed, whether for a nap or for the night, you sweetly smile up at us from your crib as we cover you up with a blanket and tuck one of your babies under your arm. Well, most of the time. There are those nights when you have very strong feelings about bed time, but they are few and far between.<\/p>\n

Regardless of how you fall asleep, the way you wake up is a beautiful thing. \u00a0We’ve taken to leaving books in your crib each night, because you wake up and read them in the morning.<\/p>\n

\"178\"<\/a><\/p>\n

You love to go outside and play, and you would much rather walk yourself than ride in the stroller. But we do try to get in a good long walk everyday.<\/p>\n

\"081\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Snow was a revelation to you. It all melted away, but still you ask to go outside (sigh sigh<\/em> – also your word for butterfly) and you ask for the snow<\/em>. \u00a0We look out the window at the bare ground and you tell me “gone.<\/em>” \u00a0I hope we get a few more good snow days this winter – preferably on days I don’t have to drive here in Seattle.<\/p>\n

We are having so much fun together.<\/p>\n

I love you.<\/p>\n

Mommy<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You still sleep in that half crawl position with your butt up in the air, and your face plastered against the mattress. I love watching you sleep, but I seldom get to do it anymore. I try to sneak into your room to peek on you, but I’m such a klutz these days, and you’re […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[761,694,138],"tags":[272,358],"class_list":["post-2436","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-family-living-well","category-living-well","category-parenting-living-well","tag-gem","tag-letters-to-gem","et-doesnt-have-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","blog_post_layout_featured_media_urls":{"thumbnail":"","full":""},"categories_names":{"761":{"name":"Family","link":"http:\/\/coffeejitters.net\/blog\/category\/living-well\/family-living-well\/"},"694":{"name":"Living Well","link":"http:\/\/coffeejitters.net\/blog\/category\/living-well\/"},"138":{"name":"Parenting & Family","link":"http:\/\/coffeejitters.net\/blog\/category\/parenting-living-well\/"}},"tags_names":{"272":{"name":"gem","link":"http:\/\/coffeejitters.net\/blog\/tag\/gem\/"},"358":{"name":"letters to Gem","link":"http:\/\/coffeejitters.net\/blog\/tag\/letters-to-gem\/"}},"comments_number":0,"wpmagazine_modules_lite_featured_media_urls":{"thumbnail":"","cvmm-medium":"","cvmm-medium-plus":"","cvmm-portrait":"","cvmm-medium-square":"","cvmm-large":"","cvmm-small":"","full":""},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1fDeG-Di","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":8341,"url":"http:\/\/coffeejitters.net\/blog\/2015\/04\/25\/the-birds-and-the-bees-of-butterflies\/","url_meta":{"origin":2436,"position":0},"title":"The birds and the bees of butterflies","author":"Judy Schwartz Haley","date":"","format":false,"excerpt":"growing butterflies from caterpillars, and releasing them to the wild.","rel":"","context":"In "Daily Life"","block_context":{"text":"Daily Life","link":"http:\/\/coffeejitters.net\/blog\/category\/living-well\/daily-life-living-well\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coffeejitters.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/butterlies.png?fit=1200%2C675&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coffeejitters.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/butterlies.png?fit=1200%2C675&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coffeejitters.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/butterlies.png?fit=1200%2C675&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coffeejitters.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/butterlies.png?fit=1200%2C675&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coffeejitters.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/butterlies.png?fit=1200%2C675&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7982,"url":"http:\/\/coffeejitters.net\/blog\/2014\/12\/31\/gems-gems-2014-wrapup\/","url_meta":{"origin":2436,"position":1},"title":"Gem’s Gems 2014 Wrapup","author":"Judy Schwartz Haley","date":"","format":false,"excerpt":"My kid says some funny stuff, and every year I post a round-up of some of her best lines. enjoy. \u00a0Ambition G: I can be anything I want when I grow up? 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