Dear Bently,

I am writing this letter not quite sure what I want to say to you. All that enters my mind is how completely happy I am. You make me so happy. You are so sweet. I love your smiles and your giggles. I love singing to you right before I put you to bed. I hate days where I have to leave for work without putting you to bed. I stand there and you lay your head on my shoulder and I sing to you. I can always tell when you are really tired because you'll raise your head and look at me and smile. I just know you are so anxious to get into that bed! I love holding you there because I know someday you are going to be a big boy, you're not going to want me to hold you, or rock you, or sing to you before bed. I can't even tell you how much I dread that day coming. I am trying to hold onto every single second because they are going by too fast! :( Here is a small list of things I never want to forget!

-Every morning when I get you out of your crib you have the biggest smile on your face! Then you hand me each of your stuffed animals in your crib one by one.
-You have started sleeping with a stuffed animal under your arm! It is too cute!
-You have started to giggle at everything! It always makes my day!
-When you walk you hold your hands together or you'll have one hand underneath your chin. It's adorable!!
-You love dogs and will give any dog you meet a hug but not humans!
-You cry when I leave you now. I love it because it means you love me and miss me when I'm gone. But it breaks my heart because I hate to leave you!
-You LOVE bananas. You get so excited when you see one coming your way! :)
-You clap your hands ALL the time and I love it!
-You hate getting dressed/getting your diaper change. As soon as it's off you are on a mad dash out of there! As annoying as it can get I love watching your baby butt crawl across the floor as fast as it can!

I know there are so many more but those are the ones that immediately come to mind. I love you so much my son. I home some day you can read these letters and feel of my love and now how deep it runs! I love you handsome man!
Love,
Mommy

Dear Bently,

You did something amazing today. Let me start at the beginning. I have been wishing you to walk basically since you could crawl! I was so excited to see you taking those little baby steps. Everyone told me to be patient, that I shouldn't rush you, I would regret wishing you to walk. But you are my first baby. I was so excited to see you grow and learn. I was convinced you would be walking by your first birthday. That came and went. National average is 12 months 2 weeks...that came and went. So I had basically given up hope. Your Dad and I had a running joke that you couldn't drive until you could walk. Yes we thought it might take you that long. It's not that you didn't have the ability. You could stand unassisted and even walk pretty much by yourself. You just refused to do it. You were steady as a rock, but the second we let go of your hands, down to the ground you would drop. You were too chicken. Yesterday, June 10, 2012, I was holding your hands as I walked you into the family room. I stopped in the middle of the room and let go. To my surprise you just stood there. Unassisted. I said, "Walk Bently." Your Dad could see your face, he said you looked over at him and smirked. Then you, steady as rock, like you had done it for years, took 6-7 full steps across the room. Your Dad and I just watched in absolute silence and shock. I immediately began to cry. My baby looked so grown up walking himself across the room. I had been terrified that I would miss your first steps. Working 40+ hours a week and sleeping during the day makes me miss a lot of quality time. I was so ecstatic that I got to see your first steps. You reached the chair in the corner of the room, turned around and grinned. We probably freaked you out with our out of control reactions. I was crying and clapping and shouting. Your Dad was beaming with pride. It was something I will never forget. You went from zero interest in walking, to walking your little baby butt across the room. I don't think I have ever been so proud of anything in my whole life. I whisked you right up and gave you about a million kisses. One of the very best moments of my life!!! Thank you for letting me be a part of it! Now we just got to convince you to do it all the time! You have shown no interest since that moment. But I'm not so anxious anymore. I am just so very grateful I got to witness it. Thank you for that Bently. It meant more to me then I'll ever be able to describe to you! I love you my little man. I love you so so so much!
Love,
Mommy

Dear Bently,

Son you are the cutest thing I have ever seen. I feel like you just keep getting cuter and cuter. I am so worried that I am going to forget all the adorable things you do so here it goes.
-You love looking out the window! More often then not I find you standing at the family room window just looking. Everything outside just amazes you!
-On that note, you love being outside. You always are trying to get outside and enjoy the world. I feel bad that we don't take you outside more. You love playing on the grass and looking at all the cars driving by. You point at every single car. I say, "Oh ya a car" and you grin like you are the smartest baby in the world. Which of course you are! :)
-You can now play pass with your ball. We can sit a couple feet away from you and you roll the ball to us and we roll it straight back to you. You smile the whole time. You love it!
-You clap for yourself all the time! You love it when people pay attention to you, and clapping does that. You know if you clap that everyone will clap with you and watch what you are doing. It's hilarious. You'll do something, look around to make sure we're watching then clap. Then you do something else and the cycle repeats itself. I don't mind. I love watching you smile!
-You and your Dad are very best friends. You lite up when he enters a room. You giggle at him all the time! You guys just love each other and I love watching you together!
-You have recently learned to "growl". I can't even describe the noise you make but you make it all the time! It's kind of hilarious and kind of annoying! I will have to see if I can get it on film so you'll understand what I mean!
-You and I have a tradition. I put you to bed every night I can. Which is basically every night. We rock, we read your train book, we brush your teeth, but my favorite part is right before I lay you down. You know it's coming so we enter your room I turn off the lights and put on your night lite. Then you willingly lay your little head on my shoulder and I slowly sway back and forth as I sing to you a song. It's a little quiet moment in time where I can just enjoy being with you. Away from the hussel and bussel of the world. A moment where I can pretend you are my little baby again snuggling with me like you used to! You smile the whole time I sing then I kiss you remind you a hundred times that I love you and lay you down. It's the best moment! Honestly I look forward to it every night!

Bently I hope through these letters your realize how much I honestly and truly love you. How honored I feel to be your Mom. How much I truly appreciate you, that you're healthy, that you were sent to me. I take my responsibility very seriously! I can't wait for more years together! I love you like only a Mom can!
Love,
Mom

Dear Bently,

Today is my second mother's day as an actual mother. I love being a Mom. I never want you to doubt that I love! I hope you will always see the reverance and the humility I have for Motherhood and all it encompasses. I hope one day when you have a wife you will treat her with dignity and with respect. I love being your Mom Bently! :) Thanks for making motherhood so incredibly enjoyable! I love you and I love you being your Mommy! Best. Job. Ever.
Love,
Mom

Dear Bently

I feel like haven't written you forever! It was very strange for your 13 month birthday to come and go without taking pictures or me writing a letter! It made me realize how big you are getting. We are officially out of the 1st year! I can't even believe it! In some ways it seemed to go by so fast and in other ways, so slowly! :) I wouldn't trade it for anything though!
You are so dang cute son! And you are learning new things every day! I love my days off because all I do is spend time with you! Even though today I was SO tired I loved being the one to wipe your face after you were done eating, or kiss your little cheek before nap time, or pick up you up after you hurt yourself! Those little things just make my heart melt! Being a working Mom has taught me so many things I hope I never forget! And I hope in some way, it makes me appreciate being a stay at home Mom even more! That day is coming Bently Elmer! Dad starts school in September and then let the countdown begin! ;)
Today we went on a long walk. I was going to take you jogging in the new stroller Dad and I bought from KSL but it has 3 very flat tires! I was not a happy Momma! But our walk was good! We walked to the super market and got some cereal for Dad, vitamins for me, and wheat thins to eat on the way home! You liked those wheat thins! We had a blast. You pointed at every single car that passed you! I would say "Yup there is a car" and you would just smile at me! It made me so happy! You point at a lot of things now! I told your Dad we're going to have to stop giving you things because your never going to talk! You constantly lead me to the fridge for a drink of milk. You are one thirsty kid. You drink a ton in one day! It's crazy! We had to switch you to whole milk because I was afraid you wouldn't gain enough weight if you drank 1% with me and dad! You just drink so much more than you eat!!!
I love you Bently Elmer! You are my whole world! I hope I never forget you at this age because you are just too fun!
Love,
Mom

Dear Bently,

Child oh how I love! I love days when I get to spend time with you! I love your Dad and all but I also LOVE days where it's just the two of us hanging out! I get to play with you and love on you! :) Today was like that! We went to the park with Aunt Shawna and Christina and Stacey. You were adorable! I was pushing you in the swing and the whole time you are gripping the front and staring at the ground. You looked not miserable, but not happy. I thought you were probably done and felt bad for swinging you for 10 minutes! To my utter and complete shock when I pulled you out of the swing you threw a fit! Screaming and kicking. So you went back in the swing. You stopped throwing a fit and resumed your hunched over position. I guess you enjoy it though you don't look like it on the outside! :)
When I finally got you out of the swing you had a blast crawling around on the sand! :) I loved watching you run your fingers threw it! I began chasing you! You recently started to scream when we chase you! It's hilarious! It makes my day hearing your little baby scream! :) You also do this thing when we get close to catching you where you plop your head down on the floor. Like an ostrich hiding in the sand. It's usually not a problem but today, like the ostrich, you really were in the sand. You have been drooling a ton because of your teeth so you can imagine your face when you pulled up from the sand! :) It was pretty gross but you were just smiling the whole time! You also got sand all up your nose! That was really gross! Aunt Stacey and I ran you to the bathroom to wash you off. Aunt Stacey was holding you when you let out a terrific sneeze. Snot and sand landed all over Aunt Stacey! Thank you Bently for not doing that on me! :)
You do so many fun things! I feel like I don't write enough of them down! I am stinky about writing in my journal so this is my journal for you! I will list as many as I can think of off the top of my head!
-You are too chicken to walk but you would rather us hold your hands and walk you around then crawl.
-When you are done with your sippy cup, or food, you throw it on the ground. You sometimes also throw it on the ground because you like to watch it fall. Dad always says we could feed a whole other kid just by the food you leave on the ground! :)
-You love watching cars! I am trying very hard to get you to say cars!
-Just these past couple days you have started to say the word Mom consistently! I LOVE IT! It's the most beautiful sound I've ever heard in my life! :) I can't even describe how good it makes me feel! :)
-You love bananas, hot dogs, candy (of course), and french fries!
-Don't get me wrong we give you drinks all the time! But every time, not matter how long since the last one, you drink like you are dehydrated and dying of thirst. You will chug and chug. You drink more than you eat! Thus, we have switched to whole milk because your Momma is worried about you getting too skinny! Daddy says you got that from him! :)
-You are constantly trying to get into the bathroom. Like constantly. If you hear the door open you hurry your baby butt as fast as possible over there. You always seem so proud of yourself when you make it in!
-You love books. You will just sit and look through all your books for hours on end. You love to flip the pages. I'll read them to you but you get impatient. Flipping the pages is apparently really fun! You are gentle though. Knock on wood, but so far you haven't ripped a single book.
-Lately when we say cheese you will scrunch up your little face into the most heart breaking smile imaginable! Sometimes you'll even close your eyes! It's hilarious! I try and make you do it as much as possible because I just love it so much! :)
-Dad has been trying for months to teach you to say "Oh Bugger" and then hit your head with your hand. I thought he was going to fail but the other day he said it, and you didn't say anything, but you hit your little head with your hand. I'm pretty sure your Dad was on cloud nine! And I got a nice little laugh out of it too! :) It's pretty much hilarious!

I know there is more but that is all I can think of right now! Every day you get bigger and bigger. I think you officially look like a toddler now. (Even though there is no toddling going on! ;) I love you my little man! You light up my world and keep me smiling!
Love,
Mommy

Dear Bently,

Life sure is getting exciting in the White household. You are growing like a weed and getting bigger and smarter every day. I swear you are always learning. You are such a happy baby. I hope you always keep that happiness. I hope you always find the good in life. Even in the hard times there are always good times to be found! Your Dad and I went on a little get away for a night and it was so weird us both being a way from you. We missed you like crazy! Melissa was bringing you back and we were literally standing outside on the curb waiting for her to get there. All I wanted was to have you back in my arms! Any time I get with you is so precious Bently. I think it's not only because I love you so much but because I work full time. I hate it. I hate sleeping while you are home and up and happy. The only thing that keeps me going is knowing this isn't going to last forever! Dad has finally decided what he wants to go to school for so hopefully the time will go by quickly and I will be done and home with my favorite little man all the time! :)
Like I said, you are figuring things out! The other day you handed me a Tupperware container full of cereal. Usually you just want me to shake it for you and then you are happy. But this time when I handed it back to you, you gave it straight back to me. After another round of this I realized you wanted me to open it for you and give you some. You were as happy as a clam after that. Since you point at everything you want. Well it's not really pointing, it's more like you reach your hand out like you are trying to grab it. Today I was outside with you and we just went from object to object touching and feeling different things. I love watching you explore your enviormentt! I love watching you grow and learn! I feel so incredibly blessed every day that I get to be your mother. I pray all the time that I can be the mother you deserve! Never ever forget how much I love you!
Love,
Mom