Dear Emma 30 December 2012

Dear Emma, You were supposed to be going to sleep and you came into our bedroom. You had cheerios neatly arranged in lines stuck to your shirt. I pointed them out to you and you were very proud of them. I asked how you got them on your shirt. You carefully explained that you just suck on them and then stick them. Your Dad lay laughing helplessly into the duvet while I tried to convince you to take them off and go to bed. Hugs Your Mom

Dear Emma January first, 2013

Dear Emma, As long as your Dad and I have been together he has loved to sing the Puff the Magic Dragon song and it has made me cry. I feel so heartbroken for Puff when his boy leaves him so alone and he retreats to his cave. Your Dad has always enjoyed teasing me at how emotional I become but none the less does not sing the song while I am around. And so you have come to be three years old and heard the song perhaps once or twice. Looking for Christmas presents for your Dad in the bookstore I came across a lovely board book telling Puff's story. In this one, the last two pages where they repeat the chorus, Jackie Paper returns as an adult and brings his daughter with him. What a wonderful idea! At last Puff will have another friend. And this little girl will one day bring her children to find the lonely dragon too! We opened the book on Christmas day but it wasn't until Sunday night that we read it to you. You lay on your back between us on our bed and when Jack left, you got teary! I swear I have never said anything about it in front of you. You became sad for just the same reason that I always did! You and I had to talk and talk through the pictures of Jack bringing his daughter and you still were not resolved that the story wasn't too sad. Your Dad made up two new verses describing Puff and the girl's joy at finding one another. Now it is a story, book and song that makes us happy instead of sad. Hugs Your Mom