I Promise...

Hi sweet pea,

You're sound asleep right now and I can't help but creep into your room every half hour or so just to stare at you....You'd think that I would get over that little habit, but you are like an addiction to me. I miss you so much when you are sleeping. I at least need a "fix" one way or the other. :)

I've been thinking about you and all the things that I want to do and be for you and I just wanted to make some promises to you now.

I promise to remember that babies are only toddlers for a little while, and to say "no" less and simply distract you more.

I promise whenever you are cranky and in a funk I will try to imagine what it's like in your little world at that moment. I will remember that you've only been here a few precious days, and it's perfectly reasonable to be awfully, awfully upset at times. Aren't we all?

I promise at least once a day to get down on the floor and be a total idiot with you.

I promise to celebrate your voice and let you hoot like a monkey, shriek like a banshee and be a happy goofball like your mommy. I'll make sure to happily distract you with quiet fun if we're not someplace that would appreciate our crazy songs, but I'll make sure to do it in such a fun way that you really won't mind.

I promise to talk to you a lot, to point out everything in our world and remember how new and exciting it all is.

I promise to read to you everything I can get my hands on, and let your imagination take you to the places in those stories.

I promise to teach you how to be the kind of child and person who people will love to be around. I will have high standards for you, but never too high to attain.

I promise to teach you how to find your own happiness through God so you never need more things, money, or friends to find joy in life.

I promise to always give you time where it's just the two of us.

I promise to be honest with you. I won't sugar-coat the world but I will also always let you know that you have a lot of people who treasure you and they will always help keep you safe. I promise not to forget, when you're old enough, to teach you how to stay safe -- even though I don't want to admit you could ever need it.

I promise to always put a little magic in your life.

I promise that sometimes I'll love you so much it makes me cry, and that no matter how old you are I will still sneak looks at you while you're sleeping, playing and living life. I promise that there will always be people who love you so much it's amazing, and we will be there for you no matter what.

I promise to never stop reading parenting magazines and books, talking to mothers, and listening to my heart so that I grow as a mother.

I promise to realize that you have to make your own mistakes sometimes and it's not my job to protect you so much that you never experience life. I'll do my best to give you room to fall off the jungle gym, date a girl with blue hair or take a year off college. If I have to superglue my lips together, I swear I'll hush and be supportive!

And most of all my little sweet pea, I promise to love you unconditionally and with more strength that I could ever imagine. You are everything to me, and I promise that will never change.

Love, Your Mommy