To My Girly- 13 Months

To my wonderful little girl,

Here I am writing you your 13 month letter- I cannot believe it.  Your no longer a baby but a little girl, I have been thinking this for some time but whereas before I couldn't help but feel a little sad that my baby was growing up, now I am excited for all the adventures we will have.  You will always be my baby, but as time goes on you are becoming such an independent little person and a joy to be around.  

You have been so busy this month- learning, growing, playing exploring- you do them all with the cheekiest grin and the happiest giggles.  I am so proud of you and the little girl you are becoming.  You have coped with the first few months of Mummy going back to work with no problems at all- in fact I bet you hardly even notice I am gone as you get so much fuss, although you always give me the biggest smile and hold out your arms the second I come through the door in the evenings.  You love spending time with Auntie Paula, Grandma, Daddy and most recently Emma, and they all say that they have never met such a well adjusted little lady- you make my heart swell with pride when they say that.

We have our moments though don't we Mads?  You can be a cheeky little madam at times, most recently discovering that if you shout and arch your back it makes it hard for you to pick up.  If we are having tantrums at one, I dread to think what the terrible twos are going to be like!  But the tantrums only last a couple of seconds and normally a kiss or a tickle makes you forget about whatever it was you were getting grumpy over.  And I shouldn't dare say it but I think the little tantrums make me love you more- your personality is beginning to shine.  I want you to be a strong willed, independent girl who has a passion- just don't do it too much!

My favourite time to be with you is in the mornings.  Having always been our little angel at night time, you generally wake up in the morning after twelve hours sleep and shout to get our attention.  Either Mummy or Daddy will go and get your milk and then get you and you will lie in bed with us just chatting, or sometimes you will even go back to sleep.  We all cuddle and you constantly kiss us and giggle and throw your arms around us- I adore it and our family time together.  As long as we have our little family thats all that matters and I love you and Daddy more than I could ever express in words.

You are really starting to find your voice- you can say 'no, no, no' and 'there' but you still don't always say them when we ask, or all the time, so I am still not sure if we can count them as your first actual words- I love hearing them just the same.  Sometimes you will sit and babble to yourself and it makes me smile as then I can really hear what your little voice will sound like- it is a really cute voice and I can't wait to help you learn by chatting to you.

You have been working hard on your walking skills recently- you can go really fast with your baby walkers now and I am sure it won't be long until you are off on your own.  I can't wait to explore the world with you when you are walking- we are going to have so much fun.  I love to watch the proud look on your face and the little giggle that you do when you take steps holding our hands- you are so proud and the joy in your eyes really shows.  You can do anything you know, you just need to put your mind to it.

12 months was an incredibly happy time, your first month as a 'toddler', but now it has been stored in my brain full of wonderful memories of our time together, and has sailed past before we knew it.  Welcome to 13 months my lovely girl, who knows what exciting things will happen this month?

As I draw this letter to a close, all I need to say is that I am one lucky Mummy.

I love you, always and forever.  But as always, you already knew that.

Love Mummy xx