My sweet sleeping child,

It just occurred to me that you’ll arrive in the summertime, which means you’ll be here just in time to experience the beauty of the Bloomington fall. The poetic back roads are covered with trees, which I feel speak to us, in coats of many orange and red colors. It’s one of the most magnificent sights I’ve ever seen in the fall… the gentle melting of leaves onto the road. Sometimes a leaf will fall on the windshield of the SUV and spring a little color to the glass.

I’m going to get one of those baby carriers so I can wear you on my chest and take a long stroll through these lovely country roads with Daddy. You can sleep if you want, we’ll do all the walking. I’ll probably describe different plants or trees if I recognize them, teach you a few things that may come in handy some day. Hopefully by then I’ll have memorized some more lullabies so you won’t get bored with the same ones

I love the idea that one day, you’ll be our little helper, so to speak, when we go backpacking and hiking out in the woods or in the mountains. It’s easy to wonder if you’ll be the type that likes to roast marshmallows over an open campfire… or if you’ll enjoy the thrill of helping us put up our very first tent! Personally, one of my favorite things to do inside a tent, when it’s dark outside… with just a flashlight or a small fire outside… is put my hands up to the tent underneath the light, the way my dad did with my sister and me when we were kids, and taught us how to do “hand puppets.” It’ll be pretty interesting for me to come up with some cartoon voices to match my hands! But you can laugh all you want, cause eventually it’ll be YOUR turn!!

Love
Mommy