A letter to my darling tot –
Today is a day of celebration – you are 501 days old!
For 501 days I have watched you grow from this tiny baby into this blossoming, beautiful, independent little spit fire! Each day you wake looking up at me while you fill your belly with the milk that God gave you – I can only imagine what you are thinking about as you grab my hair and twirl it around your tiny fingers. And each day as you go play with your friends and explore the world around you I know that you will come home to me – only to look up at me once more as you fill your belly with that same mommies milk. You may not be able to vocalize your thoughts but your eyes tell me the stories of your adventures. And each evening I love how you press your body against my chest and doze off to slumber – resting your tired body on mine – dreaming of another tomorrow. I’m thankful to God everyday that he made you and provided us with this opportunity to build our bonds with one another. I’m thankful that he provided me with the resources to nourish your tiny growing body – naturally.
Some may not understand our bond – they call it weird and extreme – but when you look up at me with those big blue eyes of yours the rest of the world seems to vanish. One day I know that you will wake up and forget about this special bond as you run off and play – but until that day happens I will continue to listen to the stories that your eyes are telling me.
Always yours – Mom
While I was counting the days on the calendar today I decided to see how old other mammals were when they were weaned naturally – the Gorilla (also a primate like humans) is naturally weaned at the age of 3-4 years of age. Much later than most Americans consider as ‘normal’ for humans. Here is a great article that discusses the natural age for weaning in primates.
Photo courtesy of Steuart Dewar, Gorilla Haven
way to go, mama!! i'm hoping to hit 2 years with my littlest one, we'll see. longer is fine. :o)