Dear Lyra,
Happy 15 month birthday!
This month we celebrated my second Mother’s Day. What a difference a year makes! Last year we were in Spain for Mother’s Day and, I’m not going to lie, it was not easy for me. I am so much more comfortable being a mom now and you are so much easier to take care of. Life is finally starting to feel “normal”. For Mother’s Day your Dad planned a picnic in the Marin Headlands with our friends Marisa, Seth, Emerson, Nick, Jules, and Oscar. It was beautiful and delicious and lots of fun. The weather was much sunnier than we expected and you got a little sun-kissed across your cheeks and nose. I felt pretty bad but you didn’t seem uncomfortable and I suppose your first sunburn was going to happen someday. At least we made it almost 15 months!
You’ve gotten really good at walking. You still topple sometimes, but you’ve learned to catch yourself with your hands so I’m less worried about you knocking out your teeth. You are practically running now and are even more determined to not sit still. Regardless, we’ve taken you to dinner a few times at a nearby beer garden called The Yard. You love the pickles and dipping fries in ketchup. We love the burgers and the beer. But usually before we’ve finished a pint you decide that you need to run around saying hi to everyone. One evening you helped some people play cornhole by picking up beanbags and running them over to the other side. You are so friendly and cheerful that most strangers — even grumpy ones — find you charming.
You have six teeth now so we took you to your first dentist appointment. I was a little worried because you do not love when we brush your teeth in the bath at home. But Dr Rothman and his assistant were great! During the examination they sang you The ABCs and you were very cooperative. Now we brush your teeth sitting on a stool so you can see yourself in the mirror and we sing you the ABCs or Tinkle Twinkle Little Star and you actually seem to enjoy it. In fact, you are more willing to get out of the bath if I remind you that brushing teeth comes next.
We’ve been looking forward to cycling with you for a long time and this month we bought a seat that attaches to your Dad’s bike. When getting your helmet fitted, you put up such a fuss that we wondered if we’d ever get to ride. But on your first practice ride, your mood changed instantly and you signed, “More, more, more!” Now you get excited and happy when we put on your helmet since you know it means we will be going for a ride. We’ve taken you on a few short rides, most often to nearby playgrounds. The Dogpatch Playground is my favorite since it’s very close to an ice cream shop. Not surprisingly, you love ice cream too, but maybe not as much as the slide at that playground. It’s really wild how fun you are and how delightful life is with you. You are sleeping at the moment (hallelujah!) and I can hardly wait to see you in the morning!
Love,
Mama
