One Year, Seven Months, Two Days...

Dearest Jude,

This post is a couple of days late. We have been busy getting the house ready for Tete and Jiddo. They came last night, Dec. 24th. Your baba, yourself and I went and picked them up from the airport. You were tired as it was bedtime, and were running around in the terminal climbing over the baggage conveyor belt thingamajig. You and I were also counting baggage carts by pushing in a screw right by the handle and counting them that way. I don't know if you would remember this or not, but you were enjoying counting that way and seemed to have fun doing it.

This is your first time meeting Jiddo face to face. You have been shy around both Tete and Jiddo but more so around Jiddo. Also, I think you caught the flu from Sarah and Sam from across the street. They came and played with you at the house on the 23rd. But it is hard to say, since you still use your sookie even though you have been good and only using it for sleeping for a while, you have gone back to using it all the time. I would think with the number of times you have dropped it and picked it up to stick it back in your mouth again, you were bound to catch something.

You are napping now between baba and I. You must have been exhausted. You are not eating very well. But you have always been long and lean mashallah. I would like to see more meat on your bones but I know that you know when you are hungry. I just don't want you missing out on anything due to communication problems between you and I/us. You still give me a heck of a time at diaper-changing, not sure why you cry and scream like you do. I wish I knew so that I would make you feel better and make the experience less stressful, until you start using the potty that is. All in good time inshallah.

I love you my dear dear boy with all my heart. If I am hard on you, I am truly sorry. Know that I am ten times harder on myself when I am hard on you. That is not an excuse, you deserve respect, love, and care, because you exude those qualities. You have a heart of gold my darling boy. I love you.