Dear Sweet Banana –

I know I am a little late, but I am finding YOU are taking up my free time, and I am not mad about it. You are growing physically (hello, 15lbs!) and growing into your personality.

{Hands} If you are reading this at the age of 30 with your hand in your mouth, it will be proof I’ve given up. You just want your hand in your mouth. Even if something else is in your mouth. I try to gently remove your hand to replace it with a pacifier, but damned if you don’t flex those muscles like a little Hulk Hogan.

{Water} I have to say you are a generally happy baby but put you in a situation with water, and you take happiness to the next level. Your Great Aunt Phyllis got you a bath seat, which is easier to use than the baby tub, and you sit in it, kick and splash until the water goes cold. You’ve even ventured into the shower with Daddy and had zero fear of getting your face wet.

{Halloween} Your first Halloween was pretty low key with COVID. But you still dressed up as a pineapple and went trick or treating at Grandma and Aunt Rachel’s work then around the neighborhood with Great Aunt Phyllis and us.

{Pumpkin Patch} You joined us for your first trip to Y Worry Farms to pick out a pumpkin. I want to say it was a magical fall day where memories were made, but you were in a horrible mood and cried, I mean CRIED, most of the time. There’s always next year.

{Maryland Zoo} We haven’t done adventuring very much, but we did spend the day at the Maryland Zoo, which was a first for Daddy and me. You were a trooper just hanging out in your stroller, taking in the animals. Mikey picked out a stuffed penguin for you to commemorate your first zoo trip.

{Family} You also got to meet your cousin Bonnie, who you will call Aunt Bonnie. She will be the one who tells you crazy stories about her adventures that make Momma send her a ‘look’ but secretly love her stories. You also met you, Great Aunt Cathy and Great Uncle Bill. Shortly after meeting Uncle Bill, he passed away, but I will always remember the day you met him because he was just enamored with you just by existing.

As someone who has struggled with infertility for so long, I got really tired of hearing people say, ‘God’s timing.’ It wasn’t helpful and seemed very flippant. But man, you came on God’s time when we needed you the most.

I love you,

Momma xoxo