Letters for my Babies

A couple years ago on my son’s second birthday, I decided to write him a letter. I knew he couldn’t read it, but I thought it would be fun to give to him later. In it I talked about when he was born and how I had felt holding him for the first time. I included his ages when he reached certain milestones like rolling over, crawling, and walking. I gave a list of his first words. And I recorded some of my favorite memories of him in the first two years of his life.

After completing it, I decided it would be a great idea to start doing that for all my kids every year on their birthday. Then when they moved out of the house, I could give them a packet of letters. It could even continue every year after that if I wrote more letters with new memories.

Starting so late, I felt bad that my oldest wouldn’t have a s many letters, but some was better than none. So on his next birthday I started writing to him too. The letters are not a comprehensive history of their life, just a few highlights.

I don’t always get letters written ON their birthday. Sometimes I’m a few days late. I think the latest was about a month after their birthday. And there was one or two that I didn’t write at all. But I just do my best. I love having time to reflect on the past year with each child and the things that I enjoy most about having them in my life.

I had about 6 or 7 letters written and saved on the computer when it died. 🙁

It wouldn’t turn on at all. And when I realized that those letters were on there and that I had not copied them onto the external hard drive I was very sad.

I still want to try to recover them, but there is no guarantee since it won’t even turn on.

So, I get to start again. 🙂

I plan on writing a letter to each of them before the new year. All of their birthdays are past this year, but the longer I wait the more the memories will fade.

I really enjoy writing to them knowing that it will be a while before they read it. I usually get so caught up in the day-to-day that I don’t see the progress and growth that is happening in each of my kids. These letters allow me to see their life in leaps and bounds. I also tend to lump them in together as ‘the kids’ and the individual people get lost. Writing to each one on their birthday reminds me they are different people, and I review what I love about each of them.

As I reread the letters each year and write a new one, I get to see new personality traits develop. I get to remember the fun things that we did, or hilarious things they said. A lot happens in one year, especially when children are young. They are constantly growing and changing, and I know they will be gone in what seems like the blink of an eye.

I want to remember these times. I want them to know that I was paying attention. I hope that they will enjoy reading about their lives from their mom’s point-of-view.

I love them each, for who they are now. And I look forward to who they will become.