A Letter to Elle at 18 Months

A Letter to Elle at 18 Months

My dearest sweet Elle,

On June 12, 2017, you graced us with your presence. And today, December 12, 2018, we look back on a year and a half of loving you. Well, actually, we’ve been loving you for about 27 months now, if we count the time you were in my belly. That means you’ve been on this earth with us for about 550 days (or about 820 days, counting my pregnancy time). That’s a lot of days! And every single day with you has been special.

Every single day, I wake up grateful to be your mother. Being your mommy has been the greatest unexpected blessing of my life. You are everything I never knew I needed. You challenge me to be a better person.

Every single day, I am determined to create a good life for you and me. You deserve the best, and I am dedicated to giving you the best… the best of me, the best experiences, the best lessons, the best values, the best home, and so on and so forth. I am dedicated to you, my sweet girl.

Every single day, I am amazed at how sweet you are. You have such a sweet spirit. One of my favorite examples of your sweet spirit is the way you automatically bow your head and clasp your hands in prayer before each meal and before bedtime. It’s pretty much the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen! Besides your precious prayer hands, I love the way you give kisses and hugs so sweetly and freely.

Every single day, I am blown away by how smart you are. Seriously though – I’m not trying to be that annoying mom who thinks her kid is smarter than everyone else. But truly, Elle, you are a smart cookie. You catch on to things so quickly. For instance, your language is developing each and every day. You speak mainly in Spanish at this point, thanks to Tita teaching you. Your first word was hola (hello) and your second word was comida (food). Current favorites include niño and niña for all the little boys and girls. Now, you pretty much try to mimic every word we say whether in English or Spanish.

Every day, I laugh at how funny you are! You are silly. I love laughing with you as we go about our day to day routines. From mealtime to playtime and everything in between, you not only smile and laugh yourself – but you make others do the same! You are joy personified, my sweet girl!

Every single day, I marvel at how beautiful you are – both inside and out. I look at you, and I see perfection. You are so wonderfully made. My miracle baby. My angel baby.

Every single day, I reflect on how you are surrounded by so much love. Of course, I love you so mucho mucho mucho! But you are loved by so many people. To know you is to love you! Kiki, Mimi, Tita, Papa, Nah Nah, Brandon, Granny, GranDan, RaRa, Mah, Juju, Mari, and so many others love you so much. We are blessed and our lives enriched by all these people. And Pabby the pooch too, obviously. Haha.

Every single day, I remark at how quickly you are growing. I swear that each and every morning when I get you out of your crib, you have grown! You grow taller and bigger with each passing day. What happened to that little five pound baby of mine? She’s been replaced by this utterly adorable little toddler. Speaking of growing, you are finally growing hair! Little by little, as Tita would say. Indeed, your hair is coming in, and it seems to be staying a beautiful blonde hue.

Every single day, I wonder what your future will look like. Every single day, I pray for you. I can’t wait to see what God has in store for your future, sweet girl. Just always remember to trust in God and lean on him – not on your own understanding. So many great things are in store for you, my angel baby!

Finally, every single day, I thank God for you. As it says in the Bible, “Every good and perfect gift is from above.” And you, Elle Esther, are without a doubt the best and most perfect gift I’ve ever received. I promise that I will never for one second take for granted the privilege of being your mother. Neither will I ever overlook the awesome responsibility of being your parent. With the privilege of being your mommy comes the great responsibility of being your mommy. The two go hand in hand, and I am so thankful for both.

Indeed, every single day, you make me a better person, Elle. I am here for you yesterday, today, and tomorrow, and always, my sweet girl.

I love you with all my heart. Besos!

Love,

Mommy