Not quite 9 months, cupcake...

My sweet, beautiful, wonderful girl. You are the most precious gem.

I'm going to try to use words to describe some of the most indescribable joy that your papa and I have ever experienced. All babies are wonderful, right? But there is something absolutely spectacular about you.

You glow. Your Aunt Mandy mentioned this week how your eyes just shine with this vivid life. Your soul pours out of them. You search the heart of others by staring quietly and deeply into their eyes. When you are joyful, bursts of brightness bigger than the sun beam from your eyes, and anyone who notices cannot help but smile in the wake of such a pure, joyful glow.

You are the babiest baby that we've ever known. You love to be held, you love to cuddle, you love to smile and be smiled at. You are curious, and you discover each thing about yourself and life in a focused, treasured way. You drink the world around you in, moment by moment - and you show us how to appreciate each and every moment in this wonderful life.

You are passionate! Just like your mama, and true to your Scorpio birthright. You love with all of your being. You desire with all of your being. You explore with all of your being. You are not a passive young lady at all.

You are patient. This is one of your sweetest qualities. You will request something, and then you will wait. You watch carefully to see if you have been heard, and if you don't feel as though it has been, you will ask again. After waiting for a long while (in baby time), you become insistent and your passionate indignation kicks in. But we see you waiting, trusting that we know your needs and will meet them as soon as possible.

You are expressive. Your intuition is keen, and you let your wants and needs be known brilliantly. You are lucky to have a mama who can match you. You and I communicate without words, without ceasing. I notice every flinch of your toes, you notice every movement in the room - and are sharp in intuitively understanding what those movements mean.

You are quite possibly the most adorable baby we've ever known. Your intensity magnifies so much. When you learn a new sound, or a new movement with your lips, you explore it with all the wonder in the world. It helps that you have awfully cute genes on both sides! You come from two beautiful smiles and two magical hearts - and you are the culmination of a transcending, God-given love.

You are compassionate and aware and joyful. Just this morning, I said to your papa that I see a truly beautiful lady in you, from the inside out. Your soul makes a sweeping and marvelous impression on the world around you, and we are so blessed to call you our daughter. We could not love you more, cupcake. We really, truly could not.

First Spring...

And everything that’s new has bravely surfaced 

Teaching us to breathe 

What was frozen through is newly purposed 

Turning all things green 

Sisters

We just listened to a little girl read a book on your favorite show, Yo Gabba Gabba. I'm sure that your sister would love to read to you, and that you would eat it up. You'd sit in her lap, and she would read to you with her sweet disposition and smart animation, while you delighted in every moment. You two would love each other. I swear you have the same giggle - filled with the mischief of a girl. There's a lot of love for you in the world, little one.

Somebunny loves you outfit and blanket from Grandma Husted. 

Four months old!

My Cupcake!

You are four moths old today! Time does fly by, before we know it, you will be so big.

You're no longer a newborn, you're one healthy little dribbling, giggling baby girl. 

Your daddy works hard to make sure that you and I get to stay together for the first year of your life;

 words couldn't capture my gratitude. 

I love spending every minute of my day with you; 

in your little life, you've already smiled at least a thousand times. 

Sunshine

I've figured out that you like to gaze at vivid pictures on the TV, but you prefer to do this in silence. 

You like to feel a physical rush; it brings you great joy. (No doubt you're mine!)

As for right now, you digest your meals best while swinging in your Snuga Monkey. 

Your eye contact is so amazing...peaceful and emotional.

You know the joy of a sneeze! When you sneeze, you almost always burst into a pleased grin. 

It has been super snowy and cold this winter; we haven't ventured outside much. 

I can't wait to see you in the sunshine.

"2" month check up!

So you are almost 3 1/2 months now, but I was having a hard time taking you to get your first round of shots, so I conveniently forgot about your two month well check appointment. You are so precious, and the thought of invading your sweet skin with a needle brought on so much anxiety! But I bit the bullet yesterday, and we headed to the doctors. You have a lovely doctor - his name is Dr. Yim. He's a gentle, soft spoken, attractive Asian American with a family of his own. He is patient and informative. He went over each vaccination and gave as much assurance as he could.

You were not happy about the shots, but who is? You screamed for a long time, stopped, and then remembered how offended you were and cried again. :( But you snuggled into me and nursed and fell into a deep sleep that lasted the whole day and night.

You weigh a whopping 15.7 pounds at 3.5 months old. Go mama's milk! You're in size 3 diapers already, but we still have a ton of size 2's left! You gazed right into the doctor's eyes when he asked about her eye contact, and smiled at him when he asked about smiling, lol. Sweet girl.

Holy Daddy's Girl

Harper, there isn't another little girl on the planet that is more in love with her Papa than you. No one can get your whole being to light up like he can.

When Papa gets home from work, he spends the two hours until it's time for you to snuggle in for night-nights just holding you, talking to you, laughing with you, carrying you around - you are his world and all else falls away.

You, like a true Scorpio (and your mama), have this quiet, enveloping, intense, deep gaze. You will look deep into Papa's eyes and just hold his gaze for minutes at a time. You shock us with how long you can go without blinking when you are focused on reading the soul behind someone's eyes. Your favorite subject is Papa. You are most as ease when you're locked eyes with him, or in his arms. You are most comforted in mine.

You know, you are a very special gift to your daddy. For as long as he can remember, his dreams were only to be a husband and father. His first try at that went very badly, and he lost his first two children. Even when he had them, he was prevented from bonding with them they way he wanted to. With you, he has full access, and all the respect in the world. Because of the brokenness he experienced with his first two children, he absolutely pours that much more of himself into his love for you, and there is magic between you two. He is very natural at being a daddy, and you are his very special child that was given to him by God to love and cherish every day of your life.

Words can't describe the blessing that you are to him, and the blessing that you have in him. It moves him to tears often; you could not be more loved than you are.

Fathers like the one you have are one in a million, baby girl.