Letters to my Children · June 2014

My Dear Children,

To be completely honest, I was a bit nervous (well, more like terrified, ha ha) to make the transition from being a mama of one to two children. Daniel, you are such a sweet boy but you are also extremely active and I questioned how I was going to give you the care and attention that you need as a busy toddler boy while also dealing with the demands of a newborn. I was also worried about how you would react to your new sister and no longer being the only child. The first few weeks were a little crazy. Thankfully, your Opa and Nana were there to help out as I was recovering and trying to figure out this whole life with two kids thing after daddy went back to work…and here we are three months later and I can barely remember how it was before there were two of you. Emma, I am so thankful for your sweet personality and constant smiles. You are truly a gift from God and I am thankful that He chose to graciously bless me with a relatively easy baby when I was so worried about my ability to handle two children. Daniel, I am so happy with how much you love your sister. We are still working on being gentle, but you are completely in love with her and I am so incredibly thankful for this. You love helping mommy take care of her and love to make her smile. When I let you hold her for the first time you affectionately referred to her as “my baby girl.” I even caught you “reading” a book to her the other day which completely melted my heart. Emma, I can already tell that you love your big brother just as much. You always greet him with the biggest smile every time he runs to you yelling “Baby Emma!” (even when he “accidentally” wakes you up). You love when he shows you attention even when he decorated you with stickers or the time I caught him putting two ants on your head. You were both laughing and after I removed the ants, I couldn’t help but laugh too (of course I also explained that we do not put ants on Baby Emma’s head, ha ha). My hope and prayer is that this sweet sibling bond will continue to grow into a lifelong friendship. I know I am blessed as an adult to have strong relationships with all four of my siblings and it is my heart’s desire for it to be the same for you. Being a mom is by far the hardest thing I have ever had to do but it is also the most rewarding. You both are teaching me to not only be a better mother but a better person as well. I love you both more than words can express and am so thankful for the precious blessings that you are…even though my hands are full right now, so is my heart.

Love,

Mommy

This post is part of a year long project where a group of talented photographers/mothers and I write monthly letters to our children. Please continue the blog circle to see what Jennifer has written.

Bethany Mattioli Photography specializes in newborn, baby, maternity and family photography in Morgan Hill, CA and surrounding areas including San Jose, Gilroy, Los Gatos and the greater San Francisco Bay Area.