12 months + 7days: I Love You

Dear AOI,

last Sunday we celebrated 12 months since your birth. today you are seven days on top of those 12 months.

i still can’t believe how fast the year went by so fast. it really feels like yesterday when your slippery body made her debut one snowy November evening {18th November 2011, 8:32pm} it felt so natural to fall in love with you. The moment i set my eyes on your sweet face my heart melted deeply  in love with you. Since that moment I'm in love each day even when you are frustrated and slap or don't want to sleep unless I hold you on my tired shoulders.

i love you so much it beautifully hurt.

i love everything thing about you. your faces, your hands, your voice, your strength, your mind… Oh, and I love your personality.

Your sense of humour is infectious. I don't know how to describe it… I laugh when I see you, and smile more from the blessing i feel when you waddle your tiny self up and down the house. You are such a busy body. Sometimes you try to sneak past me because you are trying your best to hide something you know you can't have. In those occasions you laugh, then I can't resist your belly laugh. Gosh, I love those moments. I pray you always keep your sense of humour

sometimes you lift things up and when your granny (my mummy) was here she was worried that i let you lift things up, but i can’t stop you from discovering your surroundings and i think you’re able to lift only things your strength allows you to. also you don’t let other children push you around.

i love how you are kind to other children. i’ve noticed how you are able to share your toys with other children. you don’t pull things out of other children’s hands, maybe you are still young to do than but i hope you will learn to ask to play with toys as you grow older.

there is a little girl, C, i would love you to have as bff. you are just 6 days older than her {yesterday was her birthday}. I already like her mother and we have  playdates and also attend the same indoor playgroup.  Daddy was saying that he can imagine you one day encouraging C playground. I love to think that you like to take care of people. Always be compassionate and kind.

My mummy says you have the same strong personality as i, i'm so flattered and feel blessed because i love my personality. She was telling a story about how i used to defend my elder sister when the children used to bully her. she said i would go to the children who made her cry and would smack them back because they hurt my sister. this anecdote makes me crave for the moment i will feel read to start trying for a sibling for you.

i can feel you are going to be the best sister ever and love your sibling so much. though sometimes you shy away, you are a people person.

i love to watch you play alone in your playpen or around the house.one day I was going through your closet when you saw dancing Elmo standing on the shelf and you exclaimed "Momo". Initially i thought you were saying mo' your version of more. but you were looking up and insisting with Momo! So i looked to find Elmo looking down at us, since then you like dancing to the chicken song by Elmo. But you still love, LOVE watching Elmo and India Irie sing ABC, that clip always brings a smile even when you are cross with something

couple weeks ago i decided to teach you how to climb on and off the stairs because you started following me up the stair. you picked up the mechanism very quickly. i still don't let you up or down without having either daddy and i with you.

another thing you picked up quickly was answering to the questions "How old are you?" or in italian "Quanti anni hai?" on the morning you turned one, before going downstairs, i saw daddy teaching you how to answer to that question, lift index finger to say you’re 1. so now, when we ask either of those questions or a question that sounds like “how” or “quant’” you lift your index to show us you're 1. maybe you don’t connect the meaning but it’s so sweet to see your enthusiasm.

you’re like sponge near water, you are picking up words so fast we have to be careful what we say and watch in front of you, i just love your beautiful mind

one evening you made your father's day when he came home to the lovely sound of your voice saying "Daddee, Daddee." while welcoming him at the door. oh, gosh, that’s so sweet to experience. you come running to me the evenings when i return from my italian tutoring. i love to see the smile on your face.

you are always so sweet but sometimes you are such a mischievous little girl and you don’t listen to me when i tell you to stop doing something that you oughtn’t to. for instance i don’t like it when you go through the kitchen drawers and empty half of its content onto the floor. that’s such a work load for both, i look at it as your dedicated way of helping me stay active. another thing you do when you are in your mischievous state is taking clothes off the drying line and using it to clean the floor. you make me  smile. right now you are allowed to be this mischievous. in fact you have time until you are 24 months old then you won’t be allowed no more.

throughout the day you are busy, playing or keeping me on my toes. you cool down only when you are soundly asleep; i love watching you sleep being a mum is a hard work but it’s made easy with you. you are a fun girl to have as a daughter. I LOVE YOU so much, i pray you’ll always love me because you are my everything.

always mummy