Dear Livia,

Eight months old already! You’ve now lost the infant look completely and qualify as a “big” baby. At the mall yesterday I was amazed by how long you looked (from my angle above you as the Designated Stroller Pusher) and how you can no longer fit in those teeny baby clothes. In fact, we were constantly wandering between the infant and toddler sections trying to find 6–9 and 12 month clothing. And for some crazy reason, though we are in the dead of winter, JC Penney had short sleeve shirts and shorts all over their racks. In Nebraska babies can’t really wear such things until June and July… but whatever! I’m trying to do the smart shopper thing by buying discounted clothes for you for next winter, which then leaves me guessing how big you’ll be at that time. You’re so very tall (about 100% for your age, I’d bet) that you completely fill out all your current outfits and I’m already shopping for 12 month old items. Livia, our long, skinny babe!

This last month saw the exchange of baby toys for everyday items. You are far more attracted to our remote controls than to your bright plastic teething rings. You’d much rather bang a spoon on the table than play with your rattles or dollies. Every time I talk on the phone you try to grab it away from me, which makes for interesting conversations with the person on the other end of the telephone line. You are also now fascinated with faces. You grab and swat at them with surprising power and your parents are, for the first time, trying to figure out when you’ll understand “no.” A delicate baby pat, and your sweet open-mouthed cheek kisses, are always welcome… But the face slappage has got to end! We’re grateful for the insight and experience of Cadence & Halle’s mom and dad, and we look to Cadence to see what you’ll be like in one year. If you’re anything like this 21 month old you’ll be intelligent, creative, and quite willful at the same time!

A few weeks ago you experienced your first Christmas (family and presents, and more presents, and more family). The highlight of the Christmas season for you was a tie between flickering candles and wrapping paper. Candles have the power to mesmerize your wee baby mind into a motionless trance, while wrapping paper has the opposite effect. Give the kid some noisy paper and she turns into a flapping, paper-eating creature of giddiness! We felt very blessed to show you off at the Helman Christmas dinner in David City—and also very blessed to have so many family members who already love you so greatly. You made out like a bandit with a new carseat, a rocking horse, DVDs, new clothes and new toys. Now we’ve just got to figure out how to make Christ the center of the season and we’ll be doing alright.

I could probably write a decent short story based on this one month of your life, but who (besides me) would want to read it? So let me end this letter by listing last month’s firsts:

• first time eating applesauce, carrots, prunes, peas, barley cereal, pears and Cheerios
• first real cold
• first time taking only 4 bottles a day and sleeping 12 hours at night
• first utterance of “mama” to Daddy
• first utterance of “dada” (as a stand alone word) to Mama
• first time clapping while mimicking me
• first visit to an art museum (where you even got to see a Caravaggio and Goya)

From the time we walk into your sunlit room in the morning until the time we zip you up in your pink sleep sack at night, you are our entertainment and joy, Livia. We sure do love you.

Love,
Mama