"What's that, mama?"

Dear F,
It's a joy to watch you soak up the world like a sponge, watching, listening and studying everything around you. Already your insatiable curiosity is so clearly evident to me. How amazing would it be to be able to see the world through your eyes -- everything is so interesting and so new to you. I can almost see the little wheels spinning inside your head as you work to figure things out.

As a child, I remember asking my dad "what's that?", "how does that work?", "why?" seemingly unendingly. (Actually, I still do it sometimes :-) ) I'm not entirely sure how, but it seemed like he always had the answer. But more importantly, he always seemed to have a few minutes to tell me what that answer was.

I'll make you a promise, kiddo. My dad fostered my sense of curiosity, my love of learning. I promise to try my best to give you these same gifts he gave me. And most importantly, I too want to give you the gift of time, as my dad gave me. I want to always take a moment to answer your questions and feed your curiosity. I may not always have the answers, but we can find them out together. I never want to see that inquisitiveness fade away.

I'll also make a promise to myself. I promise to try my best to take a cue from you and remember to not let go of my own child-like sense of wonderment. It's easy to get caught up in life and not pay attention to the world around me. It's easy to forget to ask "what's that" and "why". You remind me to stop and pay a little more attention to things. It's just one more way you amaze me every day.

I love you, pretty baby,
Your Mama