One month

Dear Baby S,

Last week marked one month of your life you’ve spent in our home and the day you turned 8 months old. There are so many things I want to remember about this month. So many things someone should be remembering so you can know one day.

Parker Palmer (who is a pretty cool writer and activist) writes in his book Let Your Life Speak about his granddaughter. He got to spend a lot of time with her as an infant and came to realize that “she did not show up as raw material to be shaped into whatever image the world might want her to take. She arrived with her own gifted form, with the shape of her own sacred soul. Biblical faith calls it the image of God in which we are all created. Thomas Merton calls it true self. Quakers call it the inner light, or ‘that of God’ in every person. The humanist tradition calls it identity and integrity. No matter what you call it, it is a pearl of great price.”

What I want to make sure you know is that baby girl, you’ve got it.

You are almost a totally different baby than you were a month ago – except for your smile. You came to us with that incredible smile. It is contagious. Lots of people have commented that they can’t believe you are so happy considering the circumstances you came from. The only way I can explain it is that it is that inner light thing Parker Palmer talks about. The image of God in which you were created. Your own sacred soul.

This month you’ve made lots of people smile. 

You joined us right before a big important week at my work and your presence made that week better – not more stressed as I was worried. Just having your around is calming. We drove to Washington D.C. for a wedding and you were a champ in the car! Only once were you upset in the whole 30 plus hours of driving. You witnessed two people committing to love each other forever and your presence just added to the love in that place. You got to visit the Natural History Museum, the Holocaust Museum, and see all the monuments on a night tour.

We celebrated your first Halloween at Family Fun Night with our Circles family. You stole the show in your pig outfit. I dressed as a farmer and Bubbie made a tractor out of boxes and dressed as a tractor. We made the back of her car a stable – but you were the best part. By far.

You got to meet friends and family in Macon as we celebrated Bubbie’s 36th birthday. You had your first spend the night party with Sarah and Kristen and made friends with Remi the dog who was sad you weren’t staying to be his puppy forever. You met Parker and Patrick and their mommy who has helped me tremendously these past few months. You met Uncle Jar and Aunt Maggie and made special friends with their new puppy Kazoo. You danced around the Indian restaurant with Raam on the first night of Diwali as we ate our favorite Indian food.

You met the teens of Infusion and were willing to be passed from teenager to teenager smiling all the while (and also trying to grab their noses off)! You sat still as my mom cut your hair (even though that’s against the rules)! Your hair was very long on the sides and not so much in the back in the middle. We just evened it up and promise to give you enough tummy time from now on to not let that happen again! 

You had a blast at Ikea with Aunt Missy picking out a crib and wardrobe for your room. And yes, you even let us become “those people” who had a baby in a bar-ish restaurant at 10 at night. You loved it and laughed and squealed at everyone walking by!

You sat patiently in the high chair as I made a birthday cake remembering my Mimi. You loved the crumbs as much as she did!

We enjoyed a meal with Aunt Missy and her mom and you got to watch Duke Basketball with her while we went to a concert. She also (breaking that rule again) gave you bangs. Then, because we are crazy we left for Valdosta at 10:30 at night. Again – you’re a champ. Sleeping through everything in the car and going right back to sleep in the hotel room. In Valdosta you met lots of United Methodist Women and one said she had been thinking about being a foster parent for a long time but was maybe finally ready after seeing how happy and easy you were.

We celebrated my Mom’s 61^st birthday this month too. You helped (by watching, singing, and dancing) make her a birthday cake too. I love seeing my Mama and Daddy with you. You didn’t like my Daddy  much in the beginning (which is strange because everyone loves Mr. Steve) but I think his beard is becoming less scary to you.

All those places you brought joy. Everyone comments on your smile and laughter. That’s something that comes from deep within who you are and I hope it always stays.

This month you’ve also started moving around a lot more. I have a feeling you’ll be crawling in a matter of days. You’re much more vocal too. You’re making a lot more noise – especially when something else is loud – like the mixer or hair dryer (or Tin Lizzys at 10 o’clock at night). You like to eat everything we’ve given you and are starting to want to eat more! You are a great sleeper – especially in the car – but don’t like to go to sleep when there is anything else happening. You’re not much of a cuddler. You’d rather be up and paying attention to what is going on. Only in the last couple of weeks will you lay your head on our shoulder when you are tired. Your favorite toy right now seems to be the xylophone and your baby comb. You also love jumping in the exersaucer and swaying side to side when music is on.

After one month the most important thing I can tell you is that you are loved. Know that we will keep you safe for as long as you are in our home. Please know that we are trying to work with your Mama and others who are working to see what will be best for you. All these days you won’t remember and might wonder about someday know that you were loved. Cared for. Cuddled. Safe. And bringing joy and delight wherever you go.

Love you Baby Girl,

Meggie