2/1/17

dear hazel,

this letter is so overdue, i’m not really even sure where to begin. you see, i just picked up your registration packet for preschool and i was flooded with all the feelings. i figured it was time to tell you about what you’ve been up to.

since we last left off, the biggest development for you is the fact that you’re now a big sister! you took your new role, ran with it and haven’t stopped since. i was so nervous for how you would handle not being our one and only, but all those fears have melted away. you are the absolute best big sister. you love trying to make chloe laugh, ask to see her first thing every morning and kiss her head every night before i put her to bed. you can be having the worst day, challenging me in every way, but that moodiness is never deflected onto chloe. that’s not to say that i don’t have challenges with you wanting to be carried all the time or needing me when i frankly don’t have anything to give, but on the whole, you are doing so so well.

and speaking of running with your new role, you graduated from all forms of therapy! you first phased out of physical therapy last summer (we still wipe tears from missing miss jayme) and from occupational therapy sometime in august, i believe. we still have challenges with your eating but i’ve shifted from worrying about you never eating anything beyond chicken nuggets and brown rice for the rest of your life to being sort of indifferent about it. when we were on vacation last month in california you ate french fries alone for a few meals and i’m 100% ok with that. life goes on.

other big life changes? you finally ditched your pacifier and you are 100% potty trained and have been since before chloe was born. with all your delays in development, potty training came so incredibly easy for you that i’m still waiting for the other shoe to drop.

trying to describe your personality at this stage may result in the longest letter ever. i would say that you are…dimensional. you finally met my oldest friend markie last month and she made the most perfect observation of you when she said, “she’s so demure but isn’t going to let anyone walk all over her.” that is so you, to a T. it takes you a really long time to warm up, feel comfortable and detach yourself from me but when you do, you blossom into the goofiest girl.

goofiness aside, you are so compassionate and loving. you notice every emotional shift (something i really have to be aware of) and are the first to offer an “are you ok?” or loving pat on the shoulder. i don’t know if that is a trait that we cultivated from you as parents or if it’s something you were just born with, but i feel so lucky that you embody it.

some of your current favorite things are: disney junior everything, nail polish, princesses (why fight it?), youtube kids videos, dancing (regular dance parties take place every evening), purple anything, grapes, pistachios, your room, the book donut chef, playing pretend (kitchen, driving your “car”), snapchat filters (please make hello kitty a permanent one!), sprinkles on anything, and your dad. while you’re a momma’s girl, you are so tight with your dad. i’m your emotional blanket but he’s your confidant.

i love you immeasurably, sweet girl. there are so many times a day i could literally eat you whole. i can’t imagine life without your shining face in it,

momma

(photo by lacey reimann)

some of our favorite iphone pics from the year:

for the record, you asked to ride this ride.