Lately

 Hi Sweetness,

Lately you have been having a hard time. We moved and are staying with some friends in their basement apartment until my practicum is done in November and then we are going to move to Arizona. In order to be done in November instead of June, I made the decision to go full time. I think this is a really hard adjustment for you. You aren't sleeping well and seem upset when I come to pick you up from Tracy's house. I usually take you to the park after I pick you up and then you are fine. I feel so badly that I have to be away from you so much right now.

There are things you are doing all the time that I don't want to forget. Like how I'll sing a tune "da, da, da, da" and then you repeat after me to the same tune with the same "da, da, da, da." It's adorable to hear your little singing voice. And the way you love your daddy. He was out of town last week for a week. One night I was rocking you and you were almost asleep and I whispered, "Should we call Daddy?" Your eyes popped open and you sat up. I called Dad and got his answering machine (his phone was dead) but I let you listen to his voice mail and right after that you drifted off to sleep. (When I told your dad about this he got really emotional and said that he misses us so much.) You are a daddy's boy.  Daddy loves that. Also, the other day you were jumping on the couch and I was saying, "No more monkeys jumping on the couch" and it sounded just like you said, "jumping on the couch." I really think you did but you've never said a sentence before or even a couple of words together so it caught me off guard. Amazing.

I miss you every day while I'm at work. I see a lot of sad stuff at my practicum (I am a social worker intern for the State at DSHS). I work with sex offenders and people in domestic violence situations, kids whose parents have chosen drugs over them, etc. I look at the pictures I have of you and our little family on my desk and that is my bright spot. I can take a break from the sadness for a few minutes to think of you and smile. I love you lots kiddo.

Love, Mom