Dear Izzy: Week 17

Dear Izzy,

Hello my happy girl. First, I must say, you are awesome, always have been and always will be. I knew being a mom would be great, but could not really comprehend how wonderful it all would be until you came along to show me. It seems we have turned some kind of corner this week and finally found a bit more of a rhythm. You have been such a happy girl and enjoying your days with us, but you still make it very clear when you are not happy with any situation, first by hitting your leg and side with your hand as a warning when you are "over it" and with big strong cries if we do not get to you in time or when we cannot fully get to you, like when you are in the car seat. On Friday night Dad and I decided we would be brave and drive the twenty or so minutes each way to pick up our favorite pizza and salad, but we paid big time, as you were not up for the trip and screamed the entire time, only calming down on the way home when I sat by your side reciting your favorite book from memory, in a loop, for over fifteen minutes, your eyes shutting fully right as we pulled into our neighborhood. Don't worry, we definitely learned our lesson and will not be taking any bedtime risks again anytime soon.

Really though, like I said, you have been a very happy girl and hardly ever cry, as I keep you close and that keeps you happy. You also flash your smile much more freely these days, often giving a little shy smile as you grin and turn to the side. And would you believe it, this week you gave me your very first real deal laugh. We were playing on the floor together and as I wiggled your arms and gobbled your neck you laughed straight from the core of your body and hung your head back and smiled so long as I kept with the wiggling and gobbling. This only made me laugh along with you and gobble more eagerly, which in turn caused you to increase your laughter. I am very much looking forward to this becoming a regular thing. Just like those kisses I regularly place on your face, right where my lips fit perfectly into the curve of your nose.

You really are growing and changing so much each and every day and I am having a blast watching you as you take it all in. This past weekend we spent an unseasonably warm Saturday out and about enjoying falafel at our favorite place - Al Tarboush, which you will know well by the time you are able to read this - and walking around the Ice Carnival that was happening. You took in the shelves lined with colorful hookahs and middle eastern groceries, the music that is unlike what I play for us at home, and the crowds of people on the streets. A tall blue ice man on stilts even patted you and flashed you a smile as he passed while you looked up in awe. As we moved down the street and into our favorite Fair Trade shop to borrow the bathroom and pick up a book for you, a woman said, "I want her" and my mama bear ears perked up, causing me to turn and see her admiring you in your Daddy's arms. I can't say I blame her because, like I said, you are awesome through and through. Don't worry though, Mama's never going to leave you, and when you are ready to venture out on your own, I will always be here for you if you need to come back. Wherever you go and wherever "home" is, you will always have a home in my arms. 

Love,

Mama