Thirty Months

Sweet Evie,

Obviously, I've missed a few letters. And I almost let this one slip by, too. I feel like I have to write this so well that I make up for the other two. It puts a lot of pressure on me to be a great writer, when really I'm just a tired mom. But here I go...

You have grown so much! You were stretched out in our bed the other night (yep, you're back in our bed) and we just stared at you. You looked so long! You're still slender and petite, but getting tall. And you've definitely had a growth spurt recently. You were in your bikini, and I noticed a tiny belly pooching out.

But it's not just your size that's changed. You're growing up in other ways. Your speech continues to amaze me. Today you said "I don't want to wear that cover-up. Put it in your swim bag and I can wear it after I swim, if I want." Such a complicated thought and sentence for a little girl your age! You tattled on Aunt Rachel yesterday. "Aunt Rachel took me on our date, and we forgot to close the garage. So we had to go back and close it." You also correct us "Don't say you hate it, say you don't care for it." We really can't get anything by you!

You still love candy, but I think pickles are your favorite food. You also like pizza, and routinely ask Daddy to take us out for sushi. Mostly, you insist I give you something "tasty and delicious." Which is hard, because you don't really elaborate. I ask "How about pancakes? Bacon? Scrambled eggs?" You answer "No, something tasty!"

Right now, I hear you begging Daddy to play a game. You love to play games - your favorites are Hi Ho Cherry Oh, Candy Land, and Disney Bingo. You could play Bingo for hours. You even watch our cards, to make sure we're not missing anything.

Oh, and you want to get married! First, you insisted you were going to marry me. Then Daddy. Then Uncle Zac. After we explained you had to marry a boy (who was not a relative) you decided to marry Nick. You tell us that you are going to marry Nick, and Andrew will stand behind you, and then you will marry Andrew. And these boys are going to give you a ring on the Eiffel Tower, just like Daddy did with me.

Another big thing that's happened is you are now potty trained! When GaGa was in the hospital, Heather came to visit and we had a short conversation about potty training. Basically, I said you weren't really interested, but I wasn't concerned because you are so young. The next day, you announced "I'm potty training!" We bought new big-girl underwear and you've gone more than six weeks without a single accident. So I am going to be a lucky mom who manages to escape having two kids in diapers at the same time. Thank you, Sweetie!

Since we've spent so much time at the hospital with GaGa, you've decided to become a doctor. You know about radiation and chemo and whether we're in the Cancer Center or the Heart Hospital. You've accumulated scrubs and a doctor's kit, and you love to pretend to help GaGa. You take her temperature and listen to her heart and give her bandages and pretend shots. Sometimes the nurses let you help for real, and more than once, you've insisted that you can start her IV. Maybe in twenty years or so...

You are going to be such a great big sister. You want to feed your brother, and change his diapers and hold him. Sometimes you tell us he wants to come out so you can "cuddle him up!" I know you will love him, and will be a big help to me when he comes.

For now, I'm enjoying having this time together, just us. In a few months, our family will be bigger. I know I'll love it, but I really treasure this time alone with my precious girl. Our conversations and cuddles and playtime...

You continue to amaze me every single day, and I just thank God for you. I love you with all my heart.

Love, Mommy