A little note to my daughter, Emma (explaining why I haven't blogged)

Dear Emma,

You are almost 8 months old and this is the first time I have made a blog post about you. If you should ever visit our family blog and wonder why, I wanted to make sure I explained it to you. Because I do have a very good reason (:

When you came into the world on January 4th, 2012, it was in the most joyous and peaceful way. I didn't sleep for two nights after you were born, because I was so full of excitement. During those sweet first days in the hospital, it was just you, me and your dad. We hibernated in our little hospital room, holding you while you slept and feeding you every three hours. No one came to visit and it was perfect. We never put you down or let you out of our sight. You slept in my arms every night, mostly on my chest and had your first bath right there in the room. And so I didn't blog; my arms were filled with you instead.

The first two and a half weeks of your life your Daddy stayed at home and took care of Lukas. You and I spent most days in bed, doing a lot of resting, snuggling and eating. You even let me finish the first installment of the Hunger Games. During that time, you still weren't put down much and continued to sleep on my chest. When your brother met you for the first time, he smiled and kissed you right away. There weren't many visitors and that was fine with us. I wasn't ready to share you anyway. With your sleeping and eating going so well, I really enjoyed those early weeks when I only had to think about your needs and my own. And so I didn't blog; my days were spent bonding with you instead.

After your Daddy went back to work, we fell right back into our old schedule. You came along with Lukas for trips to gymnastics and play dates. Everyone was amazed that we were out and about so early. You were so easy going and spent a lot of time sleeping in the Baby K'Tan or in my arms while your brother played. I was so happy to feel so well after your birth and able to feed you out in public. And so I didn't blog; my days were full of playing with you and your brother instead.

With spring and summer came a calendar full of celebrations and travel. We hosted family at our house for your first Easter and again for your baptism. There was a trip to San Jose to watch your Aunt Janet graduate from SJSU with her Masters degree. We also celebrated your cousin Ethan's birthday in San Rafael. Since you were such an easy baby, we were able to host friends for play dates and dinner at our house from time to time too. Fourth of July was a particularly memorable day because it was your 6 month birthday. You were the princess of the block party, wearing a red, white and blue tutu for the festive day. Attending a baby shower and bridal shower in San Francisco were a breeze with you. And our trips to Santa Cruz and Tahoe were so memorable and so fun, our first travel experiences as a family of four. Not to mention your first bachelorette party in San Francisco. Julie and Andrea didn't mind you being there; you hardly made a sound. And so I didn't blog; the warm months were filled with family, friends and fun instead.

While we were on vacation in Santa Cruz, you decided that without the swing to lull you to sleep for naps, you preferred Mommy instead. So for several weeks, many of your nap times have been spent just snuggling with you. You are my last baby, my only girl. We have such a close bond that you wake when I walk in the room at night, when you can smell that I am there. And if I am out of sight, you are not too happy. There are days when the closeness can be too much, when I just want to be alone for a while. Mostly though, I am loving every minute of our peaceful and quiet bond, of snuggling with you during naps and night feedings, when we fall asleep in each other's arms, happy and tired. And so I haven't blogged; I have been too busy loving you instead.

Love,
Mommy