Dear Kate, Part Five

Dear Kate,

While your infancy was at times tumultuous,
your toddlerhood was characterized by lots of imagination,
lots of charm and a huge vocabulary.

Your favorite things as a toddler were your baby dolls,
your "Baby Blankie",
Barney and Baby Songs videos
and reading books.

Your Baby Blankie was your security object.
It was a small soft doll with a tiny baby blanket sewn onto it's hand.
It was made by Little Tikes.
You would stick your thumb in your mouth,
rub the soft satin edging of the blankie
and your eyes would roll back in your head with pure joy.

I also had a comfort object growing up,
a pillow called "Liddy."
I have no idea why it was called that.
Anyway, I couldn't sleep without it
and woe to all when it was lost!

Having learned from that, I had several "Baby Blankies"
that I kept in rotation.
They were all washed and used equally, so they were
equally worn and smelled the same.
I have kept one for you even today.

Your favorite book was by Sandra Boynton.
It was called "Moo Baa La La La."
You also liked an out of print book called "Heather Hiding"
and a version of "Sleeping Beauty."
Your memory skills and verbal skills were so amazing
that by three you could recite the 36 page Sleeping Beauty
book by heart, word for word, never missing one.

You LOVED to eat.
Breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack.
ESPECIALLY snack!
Oh my gosh, woe to any of my friends
who would get out a snack for one of their children.
You would instantly materialize by their side,
circling like a shark,
begging for a handout like a homeless street urchin.
You would take the proferred goldfish cracker
and stuff it in your mouth,
instantly whipping your hand out again
before you even started to chew.

My poor friends,
who loved you like their own,
lovingly called you "Goldfish Baby"
and packed an extra snack for you.

(By the way, Kate, in case you don't get it,
they called you Goldfish baby because you would eat until you would explode!)

After many months of bliss with all of our friends
in the MOMS Club in North Carolina,
the time came for us to move.

While sad to be leaving our friends,
I have wanderlust and was eager to start
a new adventure and a new chapter in our lives.

And so, when you were 18 months,
we headed up the coast to our new home.

We had such fun together, you and I.
Second only to your infancy, this was our most intimate time together.
It was a snowy winter that year
and we would tromp over to the mall in our snowboots
and heavy winter coats and hats,
buy soup and crackers for lunch
and browse around quite happily.

As the season warmed,
we would walk across to the fields and woods
behind the community college
and "go exploring."
Even though we were very close to home,
this was terribly exciting for you.
Everything was a new discovery.

You learned to ride a tricycle
and we spent a lot of time in the parks.

After a while, we made a few friends
and enjoyed playdates and fun.

Soon, though, it was time for new changes.
We were building a townhouse,
the first home we would ever own,
and I was expecting your baby brother.

You were about to be a big sister!