"These are a few of my favorite things..."

Since the week I found out that I was pregnant I have written letters to Brantley as a way to journal about my experience being pregnant, preparing for her arrival, and now being a mommy. I write to her a couple of times a month and keep them in a notebook. I plan on reading them to her and letting her read them once she is able to read. I will continue to write to her as long as she is under my roof. I plan to do this for all of my children.
I thought I would share with you what I wrote to her today. :)
                                    September 29, 2009

Hey Sweet girl!
    Today I have one of the songs from one of my favorite movies stuck in my head, “My favorite things”. I thought I would write to you today about some of my favorite things.

•    Brantley Noises- Recently you have started making noises as you respond to Daddy and I, when you lay down to take a nap, and when you are just being silly. It is the sweetest thing I have ever heard. Sometimes I find myself just sitting next to your crib and soaking it all up.
•    Brantley Cheeks- I love your sweet cheeks. I wonder sometimes if you are storing food in them like a squirrel. I kiss on them all day long.
•    Brantley smiles- Your smiles have got to be the best energy booster anyone could ever take! You are simply precious when you smile. Though you smile throughout the day, I catch you smiling the most when I go to get you up in the morning. When I stopped teaching I feared that I would go through the day sometimes feeling as though I wasn’t doing a good job. There wasn’t going to be a little person telling me that I was the best teacher or that I was his or her favorite teacher. I wasn’t going to have a child drawing or coloring me pictures telling me they loved me. There wasn’t going to be that co-worker to tell me during the day that I was doing a good job. Though I knew all of that would come in due time as you got older, I still worried. Well, I truly believe that through your precious smiles the Lord fulfills all of that in my life. Your smiles truly are my words of affirmation!
•    Being a wife and mommy- I love taking care of you and your Daddy. I love being able to make sure that you both have a clean home, clean clothes, food to eat, and all those other things that come with being a wife and mommy. Your Daddy is my best friend and I love him more than you will ever know. As I am sure you have already found out, He is LOTS of fun to have around! I am so glad that your Daddy and I have been blessed to be your parents!
•    Shopping- This weekend will be your first “girls getaway”. We are going to Charlotte with Sassy to drop off your Daddy and Grandpa so that they can travel to New York for the weekend to pick up our new car. Your Sassy and I thought we would make a weekend out of it and do some early Christmas shopping. This will be your first night away from home! I sure do hope it goes well. We will see just how flexible you really are☺
•    Praying for you- I get great joy each day as I pray for you. I pray that you come to know the Lord as your Savior at an early age. I pray that you fall deeply in love with his Word and that you speak boldly the Truth to all of those he brings along your path. I pray that as you discover your gifts and talents that you will use them to further His kingdom.
•    Exercising- As I try to get these last few pounds off from pregnancy and I get used to my new body shape (thanks to pregnancy), I have enjoyed getting back into exercising on a regular basis. Sometimes it includes you as we go on long walks together. You usually spend the first couple of minutes looking around and enjoying the fresh air. The remainder of the time you spend sleeping as I push you up and down hills!

I hope you have enjoyed reading about some of my favorite things. I love you dearly my sweet one!
                                Love,
                                    Mommy