Dear Z, At the beginning of this week, I dropped you and J off at the airport so you could visit your folks for a few days. Tomorrow morning, the pup and I will get in the car for a long road trip up north to join you. I have rarely received so many messages from you saying how happy you are, but it fills up my heart every time. For these past five or six months, the feeling of…
Dear S, It is a Monday morning and I am catching up on emails while our son sleeps on the couch. As we both well know, J does not like to sleep alone. He will sleep through the coffee grinder, a car alarm and just about anything else as long as he is close to us. A few minutes ago, our pup was sleeping on the opposite side of the couch. Then she inched over to J and flopped her head…
Dear J, “Can I have a kiss? Can I have a kiss?” she asks you again and again and I’m not sure whether you’re leaning in or just off-balance, but your lips press hard into her face and she laughs in delight. Your fingers yank on her hair and touch her mouth. She gives you kisses in return. As you lock your knees and stick your little butt into the air, we marvel at the seeming confidence with which you…
Dear J, Last night you were deep asleep in your papa’s arms when the fire alarm started blaring. You opened your eyes wide. I went over to take a look and noticed that it was the carbon monoxide alarm that was going off. To tell you the truth, we didn’t know exactly what to do. We knew carbon monoxide was super dangerous and also invisible and odorless. All I could think about was keeping you safe. So I wrapped you…
Dear J, As we travel the great circuit of the downstairs area of our home, you lay across my arms. Your feet are draped across my left arm, your head rests on my right arm, and the middle of you sinks down a bit where there isn’t any more of me to catch you. This reminds me of my two older brothers when we would all three sit in the back of our parents’ car. I would sit in the…