miss ribbons

dear little leah,

yesterday morning as i dropped you off at school, we were greeted at the gate by a nice man who works there. he kindly opened the gate to let us in.

as we approached him, he gleefully shouted, "IT'S MISS RIBBONS!" and then went on to explain that's what he calls you. he {and all the other teachers and employees at your school} apparently talk about you and your hair and your ribbons on a continuing basis. they love them. every day a new ribbon color and every day a fun hairdo.

do you think they know how hard i work on those hairdos, much to your dismay?

i think it's super important for people to present themselves in a put-together fashion. doesn't have to be expensive. doesn't have to take a lot of time. but i think it shows that you feel it is important to take care of yourself and your body.

so, miss ribbons, next time you're screaming at me in the morning to stop brushing your hair or wiggling away just as i've finally captured your hair perfectly in a rubber band, just remember this. and remember how much we all love you, our little miss ribbons.

love,
mommy

a brand new year...

dear little leah,

just got back from vacation, you and i. and while we're on the subject, thanks for being an A-number-one traveler. superb. fantastic. amazing. really, you deserve a prize. i'll think of something...

the day you got back, you started a brand new school year: your first full year that will be spent at the SAME school with the SAME teacher for the entire year. phew.

miss jenn is your new teacher and she seems really great. she's read all about you and rett syndrome and has had great questions for me each day this week. this makes me feel like she wants to learn more about you and how your little body works. i'm also starting to get some great ideas from other brilliant mommies who have girls just like you. phew again!

i got so nervous wondering how you would do with new teachers and aides and kids in your class. so nervous, in fact, that i forgot i already knew exactly how you'd do! obviously, you'd do great. you always do. you're so easy going. you love people. and you love school. you make these silly transitions so easy on me. thanks for that.

so, here's to a new school year. and a new first-day-of-school photo in front of our cute, blue garage door. if you're curious as to why your pig tails are wet and dragging instead of dry and bubbly like usual? it's because you and mommy drove {well, you sat...mommy drove} 12+ hours the day before and got home at 1:30am. thus, the only time for a bath was right before going to school. and, if you're wondering about your new school outfit? the skirt is cute and i love the way the little bobbles flip flop back and forth as your bum shakes when you run...but the plain white and slightly stained shirt is due to the fact that all your summer clothes were either 1} dirty from vacation or 2} squished from being in a suitcase for 36 hours and all your new school clothes are too fall-ish for this 100 degree weather. good thing you're so darn cute...wet hair, plain shirts and all.

i love you to the moon and back! can't wait to see all you learn this year!!

love,
mommy

you are you said you...

dear little leah,

i've been in a good place lately. i'm not sure how or why i got here. or why i wasn't here the past few months. but either way, i'm here and i like it.

things are just kind of flowing with our little family. you've got a good schedule and it seems to be working. you're getting better at telling us when you do or don't like something or telling us something out of the blue! {great job reaching really far onto the table knocking over my glass of water the other day. i had no idea you were thirsty!} you've been happy and giggly and fun to be around.

and i've had a {relatively} good attitude.

nothing has changed with your diagnosis. in fact, i've got a laundry list of things i need to do before we see dr. glaze in october, i'm still not sure how i want to approach using technology for you to communicate in the home, and there are plenty of moments i wish you could just use those darn hands.

but it hasn't seemed to bother me as much lately.

i had a 30 minute poor-me session yesterday when i realized all of your three and four year old friends would be attending a mini summer camp for the next three days. a camp you weren't even invited to. i didn't expect an invitation. and if we had received the invitation, we obviously would have had to decline. but i moped anyway. i shed a few tears. and then i got over it. that's way better than my days of moping the last few months would have brought.

you have a cd you listen to sometimes from girl power 2 cure. the very first song says, "i am i said i. i am me said me. i am exactly who i am supposed to be." and you know what? it's true! you are my little leah bean. you are exactly who you are supposed to be. sometimes it's hard for me to wrap my little brain around that. but i truly love you just the way you are. i still hope for treatments or a cure that would help you to navigate your way through life a little easier. but, you are you, cure or not. and i love YOU to the moon and back.

love,
mommy

you make me giggle

dear little leah,

you make me giggle. you're just too cute!

you are such a hard worker and are so persistent. i really appreciate all you do to humor me. i know you have the capability to do so many things. i also know you have to work 1,000 times harder than most other kids to do those things. and i know sometimes that just down right stinks. but thanks for trying. and then trying again...even until you're so exhausted you just can't try anymore.
and thanks for making me giggle.

i love you!

love,
mommy

just keep swimming

dear little leah,

woot woot! we have a swimmer {and it's you, in case you were wondering}. it was no easy feat, but with the help of mr. safe t. seal {so stylishly modeled for us by avery}, you have learned to balance, kick and quasi-paddle in the pool.

and you love it, to say the least.

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

hush-a-bye leah

dear little leah,

what is it with you and sleep? i just can't figure you out. i'm not really going to complain because your sleep habits now are indescribably better than they were 9 months ago. but is it really necessary to wake up at 5am? and is it really necessary to scream and cry every time you wake up, no matter if you are happy or sad?

i'll answer those questions for you. no. not necessary.

in an effort to get you to sleep a bit longer, we bring you into bed with us after you wake up at 5am. this usually gets you another 2 hours of sleep. i promised myself i would never let my kids sleep with me. but let's be honest. you're a different kind of situation. and, it means i get to sleep for 2 more hours. so, pre-child promises?...out the window.
plus, you're so cuddly in the morning.

and the past few days you've been a little better. after running you ragged at parks and pools, you slept until 8am three days in a row. and today you fell asleep on the potty {more on that later}.

i'd like to say i'll figure you out one day. but i just don't think i will. i think you're just silly and you like to keep me on my toes...even when i'm trying to sleep.

but sleep or not i still love you, sweet cheeks. to the moon and back. just keep those cuddles comin'.

love,
mommy

big girl potty

{don't worry - this isn't you.}

dear little leah,

hip hip hooray! today you went potty on the big girl potty. we've practiced a lot, but usually you get too fidgety before you actually have to go.

but today, you did it!

i let out a big "yay leah!" to which you responded with a very loud shriek of excitement and probably the biggest grin i've seen on your face to date. it was enormous.

in case you're wondering: no, you won't ever be potty trained. mostly because you can't get your clothes off and yourself onto the potty. but we're hoping to 'time train' you. that way, you can learn to hold your potty and we will help you go at certain times every day. much better for you. much better for me {or anyone else doing the diaper changing, for that matter}.

but we're on our way.

i'm so proud of you!

i love you to the moon and back!

love,
mommy

my daddy

{leah here. i hijacked the blog.
i know this is used for letters written to me.
but really, it's my blog.
and today i want to write a letter to my daddy.}

my daddy is great. he's my favorite guy.

he tackles me then throws me up to the sky.
he builds great, tall towers for me to knock down.
he helps me to smile when i just want to frown.
he rocks me and helps me to calm down each night.
he makes me feel safe so i don't feel any fright.
my daddy is proud to tell others i'm his.
when it comes to finance, my daddy's a whiz.
he looks manly in spandex as he rides on his bike.
he likes to make meals and treats that i like.
he works hard all day at his big office job.
then comes home to clean up mom's messes {she's a slob}.
he takes me on walks, pushes me on the swings.
i love all the laughter to life that he brings.
he brushes my hair and picks out my clothes.
he gives me big kisses and tickles my toes.
he helps me in the tub to get squeaky clean.
i simply adore being his little leah bean.

happy father's dad, daddy! i love you.

do you believe in magic?

dear little leah,

i'm not sure how you do it. you must be magic. i wrap your arm brace as firmly as i can without constricting blood flow and somehow, somehow, you always seem to find a way to make it gracefully fling right off you arm. it is incredible.multiple times a day, i find you in one room and your brace and grip in another.i understand you love to give your dolly kisses and you love to grab for your sippy cup or anything that will make a mess at your own convenience, and the brace being on your left hand really cramps your style. but you can't fool me. i know you like the brace. i know you don't like to have your fingers in your mouth at all times every single day. i know you don't like rotten-smelling fingers and thumbs with sores on them.

i'm learning, though. i'm figuring out ways to wrap that brace tight enough without mangling your arm in the process.

magic is no match for mommy, little leah. no match at all.

love you.

love,
mommy

preschool, take one

dear little leah,

you did it! you're a graduate. yippee! hooray!
you walked down the aisle and got a diploma today.
i'm so proud of all you accomplished this year.
you learned lots of new things and showed little fear.

you're growing up right before my eyes.

i just can't believe how quickly time flies.
i'm so grateful for teachers who spend so much time
teaching you each day, helping you climb.
i get great reports of your behavior each day.
your teachers all love you, so do the kids, they say.
you are smart, you are kind, you are oh-so-much fun.
year one of preschool was a success!! you're all done!!

congratulations little girl! i'm so proud of you!!

love,
mommy