A Letter to Martha Grace || January 2015

Dear Martha Grace,

You turned 16 months old on the 22nd of December - and this year we were all so happy because you got to spend your first proper Christmas at home. 

You looked so confused as we all walked downstairs together; it's like you knew there was something different about Christmas
morning compared to other mornings - I mean, when do we ever walk downstairs all together? You didn't know what to do with yourself when you saw all the presents Sion Corn left for the three of you in the lounge, in all honesty you probably would have quite happily sat down and played with the wrapping paper all day long. I don't want to wish your life away but I can't wait until you have more of an understanding of Christmas and the excitement of Santa.

I hope you learn to appreciate how lucky you are to be at home for Christmas, and that some of your Heart Friends might be visited by Santa in Hospital.

You've really found your voice these past few weeks; you say Mammi, Daddy and Nainy clear as day. You are also very cheeky and say "more more" when we're not feeding you fast enough or when you notice that someone in the room has something in front of them and you fancy trying it.

While we were out Christmas shopping at the beginning of the month we bought you a new seat for the bath; you have so much fun splashing with Isabella that when we say "time to come out now Martha" you start having a tantrum and wriggle around in the seat as if you are trying to get away from us; you scream the place down when we get you out and wrap you in a towel.

Bottles have become a bit of an issue with you; you used to be so good at drinking 175ml four times daily. Now we're lucky if we get 150ml down you for breakfast and lunch, you won't touch your bottle at tea time and it's a battle to get you to drink it at bedtime too. But saying that, these past few week's you have been enjoying toast (or pancakes or croissants) for breakfast - and you eat every last little bit that you're given. We've started feeding you a full jar rather than half at dinner time, followed by a yoghurt - and you wolf it down. You've even started drinking juice from a beaker - and finishing it all. To make sure you are getting enough of the nutrients from your milk we've started giving you Rusk for supper - and you love that.

The older you get the more things you learn; from now on Mammi is going to write to you once a month - just to keep a record of what new things you've started doing. I should have started doing it when you we're much younger; but you have turned in to such a funny, lively little girl - and you're so loving always offering us hugs and kisses...these are the milestones we want to record; one day these might be my lifeline.

Love you Baby Girl

xxx

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