Dear Kimi...

Dear Kimi,

I haven't lived up to my full mommy potential.  Among the many things that I would like to do but I just never get around to it is to make you a baby book.  Honestly, I'm not a scrapbooker and the most creative I get with paper is making an origami crane or two.  But I could have at least remembered where I set that little book with your newborn footprints stamped in it.  In an attempt to make it up to you, I'm writing you this note to tell you what your infant days were like.

We named you Kimiko Ann Mori Townsend.  I always wanted to name a daughter Michita and your daddy said, we can call her "Chi" but we first need to have a girl named "Kim" so together, they could be Kim-Chi.  I didn't like Kimberly, so I reached to my Japanese roots and pulled out Kimiko and you were thusly named.  The Ann comes from me and your Grandma Mo, since both of us have the middle name Ann. 

You were born on August 22nd, though you were due to come out August 6th.  You just didn't want to drop (stubborn girl)!  But I put up with you kicking me and head-butting me in the bladder for the extra 2+ weeks.  I tried eating Kim-Chi, spicy ramen, spicy tacos, and pineapple, but you still refused to come out.  I marched up and down several flights of stairs every weekday morning to get to my desk on the 5th floor, and I walked at lunch.  You were just too comfortable on the inside.  Finally the doctor said that it was time and at 7 AM, your daddy and I checked into the hospital and started the long wait for you to come out.  When things finally started moving along, I opted to go with the drugs and sleepily pushed for three hours.  The doctor gave me an ultimatum, either push you out or he was dragging you out via cesarean.  And so finally, at 11:10 PM, you finally popped out weighing 7 lbs 6 ozs and measuring 21 inches long, sporting a full head of beautiful dark hair.  The ultrasound had told us that you were a girl, but no one bothered to check until I asked. 

I've been rather diligent about taking pictures throughout your life, but what I don't have are pictures from your return visit to the hospital where you had to sleep under a bililight.  You may never know how terrified I was when I took you home slightly jaundiced and had to take you back to the hospital because your bilirubin levels soared to a 17.  I was so worried, but I stayed by your side the entire time, sleeping on an uncomfortable excuse for a bench and checking on you every few minutes.  Thankfully your levels came down like they were supposed to and we got to take you home again. 

I'd like to make mention to you that you were an angry baby from the start.  It sounded as if you were born with the lungs of a 2 month old as you screamed throughout the night and got so worked up that your crying turned to coughing and your daddy commented how much you sounded like a scooter.  The nurses looked at him strange when he called you his little scooter. 

You're three months old now and you just had your first Thanksgiving.  You wouldn't let me put you down for very long which made mashing the potatoes difficult, but we managed.  Your aunt Abi cooked a delicious turkey and your dad played the piano for us.  Then we all watched a movie on the projector while we ate. 

I need to tell you how proud I am of you.  On the 8th of November, you rolled over from tummy to back.  You hate tummy time.  It's a surefire way to get you screaming.  I'm thinking it'll probably change once you're able to crawl, but for now, it just makes you miserable.  On top of that, I'm fairly certain that you're teething. 

I love you little girl.  You're the most beautiful child I have ever seen.  I will get better at recording your life... maybe.

Love you always,

Mama