Dear Mara,
You turned 11-months-old today. I’m typing this while nodding my head in disbelief that another month has quickly passed and trying to fathom the notion of you almost having been around for a whole year.
This month has blessed us with your adoption of your new vocabulary. Often it is that you’ll go on and rant about all kinds of stuff, in a language that only you can understand. But, we indulge you by listening, nodding our heads and saying things like, “really? Wow!” You say things like “dabble dubble dabble,” “BOOF!,” “DAAAAD!” and “Uh oh!”
Early this month you also took your first steps. You’ve been standing for a while now, but a few weeks you finally figured out how to put one foot in front of the other. I think your record now is 7 steps. You get really excited when you walk because your mom and I (and even Maly) get really excited when you walk. I’m pretty sure you believe you can travel faster by crawling, only because you’re unsure of your walking skills, but I know it’ll be too soon that you’ll be walking on your own, and we’ll miss the days where you were so dependent. Until then, it’s a blast watching you figure out your vocabulary and mobility.
This month you flew in an airplane and saw snow for the first time. We traveled to Des Moines two weeks ago for your Uncle Eric & Aunt Christy’s wedding. You were totally awesome on all legs of the trip. And even though it was so close to Spring, you were able to see snow for the first time in your life in Iowa. I don’t think the snow did much for you, of course we didn’t subject you to much of it seeing how we were just shuffling you in and out of cars & houses.
But by and large, and month after month, you continue to exude this overall happy demeanor. You’re a happy girl. i like to think this is because your family is just so awesome and you couldn’t be happier anywhere of with anyone else in the world. Rare is it that you’re frowning or crying. Usually your either relatively straight-faced or smiling and happy. You just have a positive disposition that helps to remind me that life ain’t that bad. You’re the little 20-pound, glass half-full beam of sunshine. I keep thinking that there are so many things that I need to teach you, but I think there’s a world more that I can learn from you.
I love you, Mars.
Love,
Daddy