Dear Baby Girl,

I'm sorry that your baby book won't be glittered with as many memories as your brothers. I'm sorry that several months of your first year was spent in quarantine. Your first birthday is a little over two months away, but we don't really see an end in sight yet. People aren't taking the COVID-19 pandemic seriously, so those of us who are have to be in isolation even longer.

I'm already preparing for the first birthday party, but it seems more likely that it won't be happening anywhere close to your birthday. You might only have a homemade cake instead of the fancy cakes like your brother had. I've ordered them, but if things don't change a lot between now and then it will be homemade. You might have mommy and daddy take the pictures instead of an expensive photographer like we had for your brother, but the memories will be captured still the same.

I'm sorry that we didn't get to have a fun first St. Patrick's Day. We would have done a 5K or gone out to dinner, but not this year. Instead I put the outfit on you and took a picture of you and your brother sitting on the hearth of the fireplace.

I'm sorry that your first Easter dress will only be worn at home. That we won't be able to go to church. That the Easter basket won't be full of as many fun things, because they have been hard to come by. That Yaya and Papa won't be able to come visit. They are still planning on it, but because of Yaya's job we risk that she could bring the virus into our home.

Fortunately, you won't remember any of it, but your brother will. You will ask me some day why we didn't do much during these months when your baby book and monthly emails are short and sweet. We are spending lots of family time together, so there is a silver lining.

On the other end of the spectrum, there are Seniors that are missing out on a lot of milestones that they had looked forward to their whole lives. Your cousin Grant is a Senior this year and he won't have his prom or graduation, and had to miss a UIL robotics competition. That is only a few things that he has missed. He didn't know it, but he already walked down the hallway for the last time as a student. It's not fair to them either and he will remember the things he missed for the rest of his life. My heart breaks for them immensely and I cannot imagine missing out on those monumental activities.

We are doing our part. We are "flattening the curve" by staying home. We haven't left our house except for two drives since the 12th of March when you had a well child check. Our prayer is that this will all be behind us soon, but it doesn't seem that it will be in your first year.

Love,

Your Momma