Fourth Quarter

10 Months

11 Months

12 Months

Dear Sophia,

At night when I am nursing you, I often stare in wonder at the length of you. I know all Mamas say this, but when did you ever get this big?

As we come to the end of the fourth quarter, you have clear preferences. You will crawl over to your bookshelf, pull yourself up and pry "Pat the Bunny" from the center of the books. It is your current favorite, particularly the page where you can play 'peek a boo with Paul'.

You have language, you sort of say Mama, and you definitely point at things that you want, pull at my shirt when you want to nurse, and turn your head away and shake it when you are done eating. If we say 'no', you look very displeased. The other night when your Dad read the word 'kiss' in a story, you attempted to kiss the book.

Grammy Archambault describes your Dad as constantly in motion when he was your age. You are the same, whether you are going up and down stairs, pushing your cart, or dancing. If we are listening to the news on the radio you will dance to the brief musical interludes between segments. You do not like to be limited by the straps of highchairs, carseats, or strollers. We will be challenged to keep up with you when you start walking; for now we relish the cuddles we can get when you are sleepy enough to be still.

For the past 12 years I have felt some sadness when the leaves start to change because that is the season when your Grandpa Condon died. Now I feel a happiness when they begin to bud because it reminds me of the season in which you were born. I've spent the last week remembering what I was doing a year ago while anticipating your arrival.

We are so glad you're here.

Happy birthday Baby Girl. You are loved.

Sophia's First Car

There are many May birthdays in the Archambault family including Sophia's Aunt Aimee, her cousin Levi, her cousin Aaron, and her Grandpa (Sophia's actual birthday is on the same day as one of her Great Great Grandmas).

We went to New Hampshire last weekend to celebrate them all.
One of Sophia's birthday gifts from her Archambault Grandparents was her very own car. 

Her favorite thing about it is the radio....

We bought her a Pony

Photo Credit: Brittany Kelly

In less than two weeks, Sophia will turn one.

While my family is coming into town for the big day, and I have researched a cake that doesn't involve sugar but still has frosting that will make a sufficient mess of her face (cream cheese), there is no party planned.

We considered having a party so that she (and we) could have an excuse to spend time with the people who love her, but we decided to forego it this year.  Even though she hasn't had a birthday yet, the small wicker basket that once contained the sum of her toys has now overflowed and our living room rug is slowly disappearing beneath the ever spreading flood of toys.  Perhaps there will be a party next year, or we might just wait until she expresses interest in one (which also might be next year). 

Each year we plan to give her one gift that was somehow representative of the year. This year we decided to give her a water bottle. It is her first non-bottle beverage receptacle, and it comes with a straw. Her primary fascination during this first year of life has been straws. She received it a few weeks early when we were visiting her cousins in Colorado, and while it might not seem like a very exciting gift to some, Sophia has more attachment to it than any blanket or stuffed animal in her collection. 

So I thought we had successfully accomplished the first birthday gift with a meaningful, practical, and desired item. This was until on a whim I went to a church yard sale, which is a surprisingly tempting place.

We were about to leave when I spotted the rocking horse. It's old-fashioned charm, sturdy construction, and five dollar price tag, resulted in my lugging Sophia on one hip and the pony on the other back to the car. 

With eager excitement I put her on the pony as soon as we got home, and she was terrified. This is understandable since it is larger than her, and pitching forward when you can't walk yet must be rather unsettling. At this point, the water bottle is preferred. 



Extending Family

 One of the things I have enjoyed most about being a parent is watching my child form relationships with the people who have been significant to me throughout my life.

We recently visited our friend Lucile, who got down on the floor (disregarding her current status as an occupational and physical therapy patient) and presented Sophia with an array of toys.

Despite the great variety of colors and shapes, Sophia was most intrigued by Lucile's cane.

Coming from a small family, with the closest relatives living two hours away, friends who become family have played a large part in my life. Now we still live a distance from most of our relatives, but we are fortunate to consider the friends who take care of Sophia while I am at work family.

In addition to being a small family to start, my paternal grandmother Charlotte died about a year before her first grandchild was born. Two years later Gina became a companion to my grandfather and a grandmother to me. Charlotte's only child also died before he had the opportunity to become a grandfather. 

Similar to my experience, I am grateful that Sophia has my Mother's husband Ray to serve in the grandparent role.

I am often saddened that Sophia will never get to spend time with my Dad on this earth, but it is very clear that grandfathering is not biologically based.

As Sophia's family continues to extend, she is fortunate to belong to so many.