Rachel in August

Every single time I see you, after being apart for a good chunk of the day, the biggest smile takes over my face and instantly you are the center of my world.  You are getting to be such a big kid, Rachel, so tall, so smart, so giving, so daring.  You are surely a baby no more.

You are learning so much about the world around you, and it is so cool to watch you process things.  You examine life with such seriousness sometimes.

I love our little routine of naming body parts: nose, eyes, arms, legs, feet, and each day adding something new: ears, chin, shoulders, toes.  You squeal with excitement when you master a new name and then we take turns quizzing each other, proof that sometimes the best way to learn is by trying to teach others.  You are excellent both at giving tests and taking them.  You give and get check pluses

Darling, you are the most amazing little girl, and I know life is all a little too much to absorb sometimes.  That’s what toddler-hood is like.  I’m afraid those phases will come and go throughout your life, but you can always come to snuggle, chat, cry or scream, and I will always hug you, console you, cry with you, advise you or otherwise help you get through it.

I love you, my precious pie.