A Letter to Sarah

To my mao mao:

Recently -

• You've learned so much this past month, it's unbelievable. You continue to surprise us with how much you understand and your increasing vocabulary.  You are able to pick up the words we use and can identify so many objects.  
• Your neck and wrists are red and dry. You have eczema in between the folds of your skin.  The ointment we put on it doesn't seem to help much.  We are surely going through a cold, dry winter.
• You have developed a strong attachment to Fred, the elephant.  He is your friend and you like him to be around you although you understand that he only stays in the car or the house. 

Sarah's BFF, Fred the Elephant

• You are having a lot of fun at daycare. There are times when we pick you up, you don't want to leave!  You love all your teachers and like to play with all the other kids.  You now know how to fight for toys too!
• You love to dance!! Arms swinging up and down, body twisting and going around in circles. Your favorite tune comes from the hand-me-down Barbie RV.
• You still lick some type of fabric whenever you go to sleep for comfort 
• You call me "mommy," and your daddy, "dada."  I absolutely love it when you say "mommy"  :-) 
• You can identify and recall some alphabets and numbers, play match games, and can do board puzzles by yourself.
• You love to eat almost everything - your favorite is String cheese and crackers (all types). You also really like avocado, milk and yogurt.  When you're hungry and focused on eating, you can feed yourself well with a spoon or fork, and can drink soup out of a bowl and liquids out of regular cup with minimal mess. 
• You are fascinated with the self-timer function of the camera. You get really excited every time the camera "beeps" and eventually takes the picture.  We have found the sure way of getting you to smile in the picture.  Set the self-timer, let it do its thing, and then manually take a picture afterwards.  The 2nd shot is always going to be the one with you smiling in it. Works like a charm, every time.

Picture taken with self-timer

Picture taken manually seconds after the self-timer goes off

You have grown so much - and yet you're still the silly you. You continue to brighten our day with laughter and joy.  You bring so much life into our lives!! Love you, mao-mao