7 Months Old

Dear Ella,

I never realized how much I wanted you until I found out you were growing in my belly.  I have so many dreams for you.  They started out small, just like you.  As you grow, my dreams for you grow.  Let's start at the beginning... my very first dream for you was for you to be healthy and safe inside me. When it was time for you to enter the world.. I hope you'll never understand how incredibly terrified I was when your heart rate dropped during delivery.  I knew you were in the best care.  Then I was even more terrified to find out you had to go to the NICU.  I even cried... the only time.  I couldn't believe it, you weren't early or anything!  Again, I had to remind myself that you were with great people who knew what they were doing.  I prayed though.  In fact, I prayed for you every night when you were growing in my belly and I still do every night while you sleep.  I pray for you to be ok, healthy, happy, safe, and that nothing bad happens to you.  So far my dreams and prayers have come true!

Now, that you are 7 months old, I dream of you getting big and doing things little girls do... walk, talk, run, sing, pick flowers, chase puppies, play dress-up, color... I can't wait to do these things with you!

In just a few short years you'll be off to school... and then I'm sure you will meet a boy and then get your heart broken or break someone's heart...  college.. marriage.. babies... It makes me so full of joy to think you prospering in life.  I know you will because you are smart, beautiful, sweet, kind, and even stubborn - unfortunately you get that from me :)   In fact.. your more than a quarter German and more than a quarter Irish...lucky for you this combination has made you more beautiful than either mommy or daddy ever thought possible.

I'm getting ahead of myself though.  I don't want to think about what your life will be like in 5, 10, 20 years.. I want to think about today and now!  You learn new things every day and I'm thankful I get to see this happen!  For instance, today (6/29/12) was the first time you put your hand/fingers in your food and then ate the food off!  You'd never done that before.. just squeezed the food!  Amazing!

Anyway.. I have so many thoughts in my head about you and for you that I think from time-to-time I will write to you for both our benefits...

Love you forever and always,
mommy

p.s. daddy loves you too.. but not as much as mommy :)