It was a wonderful afternoon. So many cousins and aunts, uncles, grandparents surrounded Russell with affection and gifts. We are truly blessed to have such a wonderful family. I had my camera all ready to go to take a million and one pictures, but the batteries died and I had none to replace them with. Luckily, we had the iPad all ready to go, but I haven't gotten the images transferred over yet.
Dear my sweet boy Russell,
You are such a special addition to our family. I never planned on you having to wait until your big sister was nearly 3 before you joined us. But a procedure required that I wait to get pregnant so as not to put you at risk, and so we waited. We were so happy to find out that you were coming and when the ultrasound revealed that you were a boy, your daddy just beamed. You came to us in a blessedly uneventful pregnancy until 3 weeks before you were due. You stopped gaining weight and actually lost a few ounces between week 35 and 36. My doctor was nervous that you were no longer thriving. The next week, you again had not grown, although you should have been putting on some fat to help you in your first weeks in the real world. I was scheduled to be induced. After an 8 hour labor, you arrived healthy, strong, but very tiny! 6 pounds, 0 ounces. You were a joy! You were dark haired, blue eyed, and perfect!
We were all instantly in love. As a newborn, you had the sweetest little cry. You instantly recognized my voice, Daddy's voice, and Keldrie even. Daddy could rub your back when you were upset and you would calm down. Together, we learned how to nurse and I was happy you were patient with me as I struggle. You grew and learned to laugh, hold up your head, and then you learned to sit up. We played on the floor together and you snuggled me when you slept.
You were a very good newborn and as you grew, you were a very good baby. Never fussy unless you had a wet bum or hungry tummy. No marathon rocking sessions unless you were sick. You slept through the night most nights. You played well by yourself, but your big sister adored playing with you, so you often had a friend. You enjoyed your first tastes of oatmeal and rice cereal. You got very good with a spoon very quickly. Something your Grandma Keller was very impressed with. You learned to crawl and loved to discover the world around you. After crawling came walking and although you became harder to keep safe, your curiosity was something I had to admire.
Far to quickly, you turned 1. You relished all the new food that was open to you and have always been quick to smile. You became Keldrie's best friend and she became yours. The two of you have only gotten closer as you have learned to communicate and play more. At 18 months, I was worried that you only had a handful of words. The doctor reassured me that you would most likely learn many more words, just not on my timetable. You had to prove him right too, when about 10 days later, your vocabulary blossomed. I have loved listening to your voice ever since.
You yell "Mama!" each morning when we first meet and when your daddy comes home from work, you yell "Daddy!" at him through the glass door until he opens it and picks you up. You beg "Kel Kel" to open her door and let you play with her. You two sometimes fight over what show to watch or while sharing a toy, but for the most part, you play happily side by side.
You are in a big boy bed now. As much as I felt like you were much too big to still be in a crib, now that you can climb in and out of bed by yourself, I miss your arms reaching out to me first thing in the morning to get you up and out of the crib. You are a sweet and affectionate boy. Sometimes you come to sit with me just to be with me. We read stories together and sometimes you pull my hair over my face so we can play our own version of peek-a-boo. You enjoy your food still but sometimes you enjoy playing with it even more. You have a bad addiction when it comes to chocolate. You love anything sweet. You also love cheese and bread and will beg for Sprite if you think you can get it. Sometimes I get frustrated at how quickly and how much joy you find in making messes, but I try and remind myself that you are still discovering the world. You love phones and computers, whether play ones or the real ones, if you can get your hands on one.
I could go on and on about all your little traits that I love but most importantly, I want you to know that I love you, my little man. I know, one day, far into the future, some special girl is going to become the love of your life, but until then, I am going to cherish each day with you where I am your main squeeze.
Love, Your Mama
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