ramona marilyn,

my oh my how you have bloomed. this past month was my most favorite yet. your personality is becoming so vivid and so you. you’re a ham, independent, and totally aware of your cuteness. you use that to your advantage. you are curious and loud and a bit impatient. you have spunk and determination and cuddles. you love to sit in laps but no one can stop you from going off exploring. you love to be naked. you love to jump in the pool with all your clothes on. you hate when it is hot and you love to eat ice. you absolutely adore your papa. you drink so much water and your favorite toys are books. you mimic sounds and faces and are quickly finding your voice. you stand on your own. you are not a walker but you can most certainly walk.

your “stranger danger” days were short-lived and you are back to gobbling up attention from any of papa’s and mama’s close friends. this is so fine with us until a crazy lady in front of us in line at our favorite vietnamese bakery held out her arms to you and –though your mama made no hint to offer you to her– you DOVE into them. (who asks to hold stranger’s babies, i will never know. she be cray cray. it was awkward.)

nona came to help papa and i beautify our front yard. you love her! she is so good with you and totally gets you: she engages with you but certainly gives you the space your personality seems to require. she loves to watch you toddle around, making your own voices. she gets that you prefer to start the conversation and always would wait patiently until you did. and then how the two of you would gab! you always wanted to talk to her. i think this unique relationship will be so special and rich even though she lives far away.

while she was here we noticed that you learned to dig in the dirt: squatting you would take your hands and fling the dirt behind you through your bent legs. you had watched me do that while digging holes for the russian sage. you ate some of it but you’re almost over the automatically-putting-dirt-in-your-mouth stage. instead, after digging, you sit there and pour handful of dirt after handful of dirt over your already-muddy thighs; your chubby wrist rolls and teeny finger nails caked with dirt.

you still sleep with us most of the night but papa and i have been letting you figure out falling asleep on your own a little more. some nights are better than others–and overall you’re doing great–but we’re feeling the need for change real soon. this is interesting bc we thought we’d be bed-sharing, or at least co-sleeping, for a lot longer.

you are so so incredibly loved. your one year birthday is next month and i’m having so much fun planning the party for it. yes, honey, i am that mother: there will be coordinating decorations and lots of people. but you know what?: there are so many friends and family close to us that, really, are your biggest fans. so we plan to hold a big shebang to celebrate you. and then, after you’ve gone to sleep, we’re gonna stay up and continue celebrating you! get used to it, honey. 😉

ramona marilyn. you are so spirited and spunky and confident and bright and happy. these traits are important in little girls and i pray papa and i can continue to nurture these parts of you so you can continue growing up filled with confidence and, most importantly, joy.

i love you. love, mama.

*see ramona at other months: ten, eight, six, four, two, birth.*