My little kate..

We still don't know what to call you. kate, katie rose, Katherine, baby. Your dad calls you baby, and your brother calls you little baby aunt kate. You may not have one single name, but you have a milllion wonderful traits. You are 13 months now, a little person for sure. It is as if the moment you realized you can stand (7.5 months) the world opened up to you. And from the day you started to take steps (11 months) and really walk (12 months) you made our world your own. 

You started by staggering and falling down over and over again, determined to conquer your surroundings. The day before you turned one, you woke up and decided that crawling was a thing of the past, and with that realization you did it. walk, fall, walk, fall. walk. walk. walk. run. 

And in that moment on that day, with the snow falling steadily around us, I knew you had become your own little person. complete with capabilities, personality, opinions, and desires. 

You have become the fiery pistol we hoped you would.

Even if it makes our life a bit harder.

You shake your head no, and nod your head yes. You say Yeh, to just about any question. You point to all that interests you, learning new signs daily: dog, ball, more, food, milk, water, tree, bird, daddy, flower, sleep, book, cold, hot...food, food, food..how much can a baby eat really? lentils, eggs, barley, veggies, oranges, apples, whole bananas, cheese, oh how you love your cheese.....

your faces, first your scrunchy, then your chuckie, your cold face..which by the way scared me the first time I saw it. I saw you freeze everything up and shake and thought you were having a seizure. Your fake laugh and real laugh. The way you try to say words,  and the joy I get when I hear you say a real word. dada, mama, hoooooot, ball, pa.

You are the sweetest thing as you walk around with your bubble butt and call PAAAA in the morning when your first hear his voice.

They way you stretch out your arms and run to your grandmother, the way your entire face lights up when you see you dad, who by the way loves you more than the words could ever express. The way your stick both your hands out and try to make your brother laugh when he is upset.

And now you are 13 months, a little being. And I wonder where did my little nursling go. Where did that sweet round baby that was always nestled against my chest go. You have been a part of me for 22 months. First 9 inside me, and the past 13 months you have continued to be as close to me as possible.

You benefited greatly from being our second, there was no question where you would sleep, or if we would have you cry yourself to sleep, no question about nursing on demand, or enforcing naps. We had learned in the first 6 months of having your brother almost everything we apply to you both now, and you are lucky for that. This time we didn't bother with bottles, I decided not to work, and was completely ok with you wanting me and only me. You have always been one attached baby, and maybe it is because you are my daughter, or maybe it is because you are most likely my last, but I wanted it that way.

And just like that you are changing. You no longer nurse to sleep, in fact I can hardly even get you to sleep. You look to your dad for that. And you no longer need me all night long. Now you and your dad sleep soundly (or not so soundly, sorry adam) together allowing your mom to finally get some much needed sleep.

Sure there are times you want to cuddle, where you crawl into my lap and rest your perfect head on my lap, and I cherish those times....because more and more you are playing chase with your brother around the island, teasing lily with your snack, and looking out the window at cars, people and birds. 

And you are beautiful Kate, as beautiful as I have ever seen or known. Your sneaky smile, the way you shove a huge stone in your mouth and run in the opposite direction. The way you pop your sleepy head straight up in the middle of a dead sleep and start blabbering and smiling away.

The way your hair gets messy in the morning, the few hairs that you have. 

I love you with every ounce of my being. You really do complete me, and I thank you for that. Thank you for coming into our lives unplanned and unannounced. Thank you for being the sweetest, happiest, and most mellow baby we could ever hope for, and thank you for growing up and become this little being that we all love to be around.

My litte Kate