Dear Miles,

This is coming a day late, I’m sorry to say.  Today is your dad’s birthday, and we did our family celebration yesterday, which took up all my free time.  Everything’s a little more complicated with you involved; I can’t just run out and shop for a present or groceries for his birthday dinner whenever I want anymore.  Don’t get me wrong—you’re a delight, and I love including you in the things I do, but it definitely takes more planning.

Your dad requested a carrot cake, which was the same kind you had for your birthday.  You were much more excited about it this time around.  There was none of the trepidation you had when we first offered it to you.  No, this time you dived right in and went for a second serving when you finished the first.  I don’t know if you actually remembered it, but it’s possible.  Your memory is getting a lot better.  You remember things I never expect you to recall, like where your choo-choo train is.  Jessa told me that she read you a book for the first time that had a song associated with it, and later she sang the song out of context.  You crawled straight over and found the book with no prompting from her.

You’re doing so well at Jessa’s house now.  After some rough times at first, this last week you seem to have settled into a good routine.  You seem to be handling interactions with Jonah better, not so intimidated and more willing to play with him.  We are really hoping they don’t move away.  Jonah’s dad got a job offer in Texas, and it would be hard to find such a good situation with anyone but Jessa.  We’ll find out in the next couple of months.

The last month had us spending more time apart than we ever had before, and it was really hard on me.  I was working on a film, doing costumes, and it involved a lot of time on-set.  Your dad sometimes brought you to see me, and the two of you spent a whole weekend at the Hawkeye Motel in Washington, Iowa with me.  That was great, but it was no substitute for actually having a lot of time with you.  You were very popular on set, though, and you made a lot of friends.  Still, I’m glad it’s over now and we can have our weekends together again.

We made plans this month for our vacation, which will be to the Bahamas in May.  I’ve got everything ready to submit for your passport, and I’m so excited for you to get it.  I hope you love to travel and love the ocean like I do.  It will be wonderful to share those things with you.

In the meantime, you are a walking maniac.  You started with hesitant toddles, walking up to a big box and knocking it over, then plopping down on your bottom.  Since then, you’ve gotten a lot more confident, and now your dad and I really understand the phrase “the pitter patter of little feet.”  We hear that slapping down the hall so much now, and it’s about the cutest sound in the world.  You still crawl, especially when you want to get somewhere fast, but it won’t be long before your bowlegged little steps turn into a full-on run.

I’ll catch you if I can.

Love,

Mommy