{~1975}

i was just
looking
through
some of
my old photos
and found
this photo
of
the original
valérie
(her nickname
was "vally")...

this photo
was taken
around
this time
of year-
easter.
(anyone know
the year?)

i wish
my grandma
could have
met her
great
grand-daughter.
i plan
to tell vee
all about
her namesake.

i also
found
these
photos
of vee's
only cousin,
jonah,
when he was
a baby
(he's
5 years
older
than vee).


{~1 week old}


{~1-2 months old}

do you see
any
family
resemblance?

we are very
excited
that
jonah's dad,
vee's
uncle joe,
will be
visiting
in 2 weeks!!!

xo

6 months

vee turned
6 months old
almost
2 weeks ago.



we had
a little
party for her.
i tried
to make a cake
but grub
had to save it.



it tasted
very good
but did not
look pretty.
grub said
that
it looked
like vee made it.


{aunty pip with vee}

our friends
pip, angela,
and johnattan
came over
to celebrate.

she got
a new
nijntje rattle
from us
and angela
brought
her a
soft book.



this month
has been
a blur.
i have been
so busy
with work
and vee
has gone
through
so many major
changes
i feel like
many many
months
have passed...



each month
we sit down
and write
a page down
in vee's
baby journal.



we reflect
on how
vee has changed.

i don't think
that
i would
remember
it all
if we didn't
make
sure to
write it
down
each month
(we weren't
so good
about that
the first
3 months).

each month
i am
a little sad
because
she is
changing
so fast.



it's exciting
to think
about things
like
teaching her
to snowboard
but scary
to think
that
before
i know it
she will soon
no longer
be a baby.

here
are a few
memorable moments
this month:











she now
sleeps in
her
own crib
in
her
own room
at night.
we thought
the transition
would be
a big deal
but vee
was as ready
for
her own space
as her parents
were.

she shows
more and more
personality
every day.
she is
outgoing
and
easygoing.

she is
full of
laughter.

we are very
lucky.

she constantly
amazes us
with her new skills.

she kills us
with
her charm.

. . . . .

lastly,
thank you
all so much
for your
outpouring
of support
and kindness
about
dealing
with
vee's
eye problem.
it was
a difficult
to
share it.
we both
appreciate
your
support
so much.
thank you.

xo