A letter to my little Nugget

WARNING:  Tissues may be required to proceed.

Hi Nugs, it's Mommy.

I have so much that I want to tell you today.  You've been out in this big world for a day short of 18 weeks now and have grown so much.  We all have.  You have been sleeping through the night for eight of those weeks, with a couple of exceptions from your coughing, cold, and immunizations.  But every morning you wake up smiling and cooing and showing us your "happy feet."  Nothing warms my heart more than when you kick your feet like crazy, smile and make spit bubbles when you see us first thing in the morning.  You are weighing in at just over 15 pounds, and are already almost 26" long!  You are taking your bottles like a champ most of the time and for almost a week now, you have been eating cereal from a spoon as if you've been doing it since day one.

You are smiling all the time now and this week we heard you giggle for the first time.  You are such a good baby and all of your teachers just love you to pieces.  You come home from school every day just as happy as you were when I dropped you off.  Thank you for loving your friends, school and teachers so much that I can go to work knowing that you are happy.  If you aren't happy, I'm not happy.

Now on to the mushier stuff.

Everyone who has children will tell a pregnant woman how you can't even imagine how much you will love your baby as soon as you meet them.  I knew they were right, but couldn't even begin to imagine what that love would feel like.  And now I know.  Every day I love you even more than I did the day before, and the day before, I didn't think it was possible to love you more.  Before you go to sleep, I always tell you that "I love you to the moon and back, all the time, every day, no matter what."  And it's so true. But even that doesn't seem sufficient enough to convey how much I really love you.  I love you so much that I just want to be with you all the time.  I kiss your face so much that you may have permanent lip balm marks on your cheeks and head.  My cup runneth over, Nugs.

And with all this crazy love we have for you, your Dad and I have begun to plan for your future.  Which includes some really scary thoughts that really upset me to even think about.  But first, the fun stuff.  The month after you were born, your Daddy and I opened a savings account for you that will hopefully have many thousands of dollars for you when you turn 18.  This week, we opened a whole-life life insurance policy for you that will be all yours when you turn 21, and will have a pretty decent cash value.  Until that time, we get to control that money.  And when you turn 21, you get to decide what you want to do with it.  Maybe you'll cash it out and  buy your first house.  Maybe you'll travel through Europe for a year.  Maybe you'll start your own business.  Or maybe you'll be super responsible and frugal like your Dad and keep it. Or maybe you'll need it for the therapy you'll need because your Mom showered you with WAY too much love as a child.  Regardless.  It will be your money, and you can decide how to use it.

Now the scary stuff.   We have also made some plans for you for "just in case."  It breaks my  heart to even think about, so I won't get into much detail.  But, God forbid, if something should happen to Mommy and Daddy at the same time, we know where you will go, who you will be with, how much you'll be loved and how you will be raised and cared for.  And even though breaks my  heart to even think about it, I am also very happy because I know you will be with family and will be loved to the moon and back, all the time, everyday, no matter what.

Now back to fun stuff.  Two weeks from today, you will take your first plane ride to Michigan and will get to meet your Uncle Garren, Aunt Shannon and your cousins, Ashton and Adrianna in person for the first time.  You'll also get to meet your Auntie Angie and Miles, and the entire River Family.  You'll understand the idea of the River Family more when you get a little older.  There will be lots of kids, and some very fun boys for you to play with and some very cute girls for you to chase when you grow up.  Michigan trips will become more and more fun for you as you get older!  So fun, in fact, that I think your Dad and I, with some River Family help, will be building a replica of the Great Wall of China down the middle of the Chippewa to prevent you and the other boys from sneaking across the river in the middle of the night to see the pretty girls on the other side.

And, one last thing.  I am going to start recording a podcast for your ears only.  That way, when I am old and gray, or worse, when I am young at heart and totally annoying, you can listen to the messages and hopefully understand where I am coming from and why I do what I do for you.  Or to you.  It will depend on how old you are when you listen.

Well, that's it for today.  Mommy and Daddy love you so much, Nugs.

No matter what.  Love,
Mommy