Well.

So it's been a while.  Again.  
It's just that...  
Dorothy is every emotion imaginable wrapped up in a ball of toddler skin and hair, and these days she is either poking her little fingernail into my last nerve or making my chest tight with laughter or causing my eyes to well up at how lovely/funny/silly/imaginative/sweet/perfect she is.  These two-year-old times are tough, there are no two ways about it, and sometimes I am either incredibly great at handling things or embarrassingly awful about them.  
Winnie is growing at such a fast rate I can practically see the inches and ounces being added to her tiny frame daily.  It's a frustrating battle to watch with both amazement and sadness at her learning new things because it's just...happening...too...quickly.  I close my eyes for a second and she's already four months old. I close them again and she's already four-and-a-half-months old.  It's just flying by, and there is so much goodness and innocence and silliness in this little girl of mine that I can't help but want to spend every moment possible pushing my face into her tummy to make her squeal with laughter.
I haven't posted in a while, but to be honest, this time I haven't missed it as much.  I'm still writing, still taking photos, still trying to document the little mundane things in the little lives of our family.  But at the moment, posting my thoughts and feelings about these children and their mama on a regular basis just doesn't seem to fit in, and I'm okay with that right now.
You can find me on Instagram as seedotrun, by the way.

Dearest Winifred: You.

Hey baby.  
I just thought I should let you know how lovely you are.  You smile at just about anyone who even barely glances in your general direction.  You coo in this sing-song way if we talk or sing to you, and once you really get going, you are seriously loud, and you seem to be able to reach this certain pitch that makes my ears ring.  You are just so, so happy, content to play on your own or watch Dorothy like a hawk, and when that girl looks at you, hoo-boy do you go nuts!  You definitely save your best smiles for her, and you "talk" to her as often as you can, preferring to sit in my lap at mealtimes, I think because Dorothy is stuck in her highchair which means you'll have a better chance at getting her attention.  
You love crinkly noises, bath time, and being naked, and you'll kick your legs a mile a minute out of excitement at any of those things.  You love watching and listening to me read books to you and Dorothy, and although you have no idea what I'm saying yet, I like that you make the right kind of face at the right moments in the story.  
You're just lovely.  You like gnawing on things, whether it be a rattle or a stuffed toy or my hands, and though we're not giving you one (sorry about that), I'm sure you would ADORE a pacifier.  
Oh, and you are just one of my favourite people, and I love that you sing along when I sing Frank Sinatra songs to you.
The End.

Dearest Dot: You, right now, are AWESOME.

Oh, Dot.  
This is one of those times when I'm full of cliches and sap, I'm just going to admit it.
You know how mothers at times will say, "I wish I could keep them this little forever," or mention wanting the ability to freeze time?  I want that with you.  Right now, I'd like Groundhog day to happen and just repeat these days with you over and over and over again.
For one, your hair is wild.  It looks like a bear attacked your lovely locks while you were sleeping, and your dislike for having your hair put up ("No, later!") means I often let it stay in it's unkempt state all day.  One day we'll give it a trim.  One day.  But not yet.  I have a feeling when we finally cut your hair, you'll look much older to me.  I like your wild baby locks.  A lot.
Second, you have the most amazing imagination of anyone I've ever known.  We still have crocodiles living under our couches and radiators downstairs, and they've been joined by an apple tree that you can shake to collect spoils for your basket.  You have created ailments any crotchety old person would be proud to boast about, if only so I'll play doctor with you and make funny sounds with your plastic stethoscope pushed up against your stomach, and you absolutely love it when we use old-fashioned sayings so you can pretend they're literal, like pretending to pull a bone from your throat if you cough on something.  Many days we've spent playing with completely invisible objects, and at the end of the day when I look around at a still-spotless living room, I smile to myself at how much fun we can have with absolutely NOTHING but our little brains and our big imaginations.
Last but not least, you are just such a lovely person.  I know you've probably gotten this trait from Richard, because although I wouldn't call myself selfish or mean, he's just much more thoughtful than I am, and you're the same way.  You get upset when Winnie is sad, and you'll immediately get a toy for her to play with or start singing her a song.  One day when I was upstairs putting some laundry away, I heard her wake up crying and as I walked down the stairs, I saw you rush to her and start rocking and hush-hushing, stroking her forehead the way I do yours when you're sad.  When strangers are crying, you want to look, you want an explanation, you want to find a solution ("need nap," "hungry," etc.).  You are seriously, just so sweet, and I hope that never changes.

So I just want to let you know, not only do I love you a whole heap, my little chickadee, but I also really, REALLY like you right now.
Not to mention, you've just entered the, I-should-probably-teach-you-about-what-an-indoor-voice-is stage, so...who knows how long that'll last.  ;)

Pictures I should have posted ages ago...

Like, AGES ago.  From Dorothy's second birthday (only just over a month ago...) and from Easter.  But hey, better late than never!

A chocolate cake with pink icing, as per her request.  

Love her.

Jumping on the bed.  Because we're going to need a new mattress eventually, and it might as well because of this monkey.

I can't help myself and I keep buying The Dot these re-released vintage toys.  This piano?  AMAZING.

A bit chilly for an egg-hunt, but she LOVED it.

She's got a mouth-full of a sugary Easter egg she didn't really want to eat.  She spat it out later.  Yum.