we’ve been doing a whooole lot of growing up around here lately, and whew! it’s so good, but it’s so hard, too… especially since i think maddalena and i are maybe the two most attached and emotionally in sync humans on this earth, i really do… and every now and then it feels like we do so much growing up so quickly that it seems to take a toll on both of us. so! lots of growing, naturally, means lots of playing and even more snuggling… and thank goodness for strawberry yogurt, too, because that seems to be the magical answer to almost everything. it’s also one of my favorite things to hear maddalena say in her precious voice… sawby yogut! but, of course, nothing beats when she says i luhz yoo, which is the absolute sweetest thing every single time. i luhz yoo, maddalena rose!
last night after the cutest little, i luhz you, daddy! seep good! that my ears have ever heard, i got maddalena all settled in her big girl bed. we piled stuffed animal after stuffed animal into bed around her, each one i’d introduce and ask if she wanted that one. each time she’d gently say, okay, and i’d nestle it in. then she’d ask in her tiny, soft voice for “a new one bunny” or “a new one kee-cat” and i’d reach for another… and after all the stuffed animals had found a place in the big girl bed, i climbed in, too, and we read the goodnight book [goodnight moon, she knows almost all of the words by now!]. then when she got sleepy, we didn’t nurse to sleep, but instead i kissed her face softly until she drifted off. she looked so perfectly angelic as she always does while she sleeps, and i started to miss her right away… so i cuddled a while before sneaking out to attempt yet a third night sleeping in my bed instead of hers [the first night, i will say, i hardly slept a wink]… but not before i played on my computer a while and nibbled around in the pantry! night owl’s gotta night, you know.
once i got in bed, i found myself looking at the picture i’d taken of her sleeping among her cuddlies until i fell asleep myself, wishing the morning would just hurry up and come already. and then, it did! much too early, in fact, when at 5am i was roused from my coma by the sounds of a very sad little girl searching the house for me. gosh, she doesn’t usually get out of her bed, but i must have slept through a whole lot of crying before i woke up [steven was in the shower already getting ready for work], and my heart fell to the floor when i found her down the hall, staring into an empty room, alone and in tears… and when i picked her up all she could say was “a new one sock, a new one sock,” because she was all frazzled that one of her fuzzy socks had come off in the night. so, i got into her bed with her, she put one of her little hands on each of my cheeks and we both fell right to sleep, cozy as ever… just as steven was heading out the door. 🙂
and so, growing up feels kinda like a lot this week… hard but good! and like always we’ll keep going at our own pace and snuggling our way to the top, because i have found that that’s the best way to go about anything! i’m sure lucky to have this girl to keep me feeling all loved and happy. i luhz yoo so so much, mia!
[now just remember what ET says to elliott with his glowy finger! “iiiii’ll beeee riiiiight heeeeere!” ha, i so loved that nice alien when i was little! ;)]
i died all the way through that, i could not possibly love either of you more.
So sweet. You're not alone in feeling all these feelings. Snuggle away! Xoxo
So sweet. you are the best mommy, she is lucky to have you!
These pictures are so priceless!
Aw what a sweet story. Those pictures are adorable ❤️
so so sweet! i love when you said that taking things at your own pace is the best. because it really is! i sometimes get so overwhelmed when i think about what gigi "should be" doing like drinking out of advanced sippy cups, and sleeping 12 hours, and blah blah blah, and frankly – i don't ever want to put restrictions or generalizations on how she grows and learns. and i love your confidence with M and how you are so patient with everything. reminds me to soak up EVERY season possible.
on a completely random note – have you SEEN the H&M toddler fall collection?!?1 I die…
haha! i know just what you mean, girly! i think about those pressures all the time. but then i do things like… try to get madd to take a full on baby bottle [for the first time ever] instead of a sippy cup when she was like 18 months old, haha. it didn't stick 😉 but i think these little ladies are gonna turn out okay even if their moms lose their minds a little first! 🙂 🙂 and i have not seen the H&M toddler line yet!!! googling now!