To Lily, My Beautiful Girl

Today for #BEDN I'm sharing a post I wrote ages ago when I was first considering starting a blog. I'd sit at work during my lunch and write little letters to Lily because she had just started nursery and I missed her terribly.

At the time, Lily had been picked as regional winner for The Baby Show Stars at Birmingham. A couple of weeks later we had the shoot at Bumpkins and I have shared my favourite photos as part of this post. In the end Lily didn't win, although her photo was still used on the website, leaflets and posters which was still pretty cool.

Lily,
Having a camera on my phone means that I take more and more photos of you every month. I currently have hundreds saved on our pc, organised first by days, then weeks and then months. I’m also selecting my favourites as I go and putting them together for a photobook to be printed for your first birthday which is only a few months away now. How time flies! I think I’m getting better and better at taking photos of you. But then, you do make it easy for me. I try and capture so much of your play and development, I want to be able to remember this time for always and having the photos there will help enormously. I love looking back at my baby photos and childhood pics, I hope that one day you will too.




We’ve also had some professional photos taken, some with a studio in Beaconsfield who has taken some wonderful, classic shots. We got a deal to go to three different shoots throughout your first year, chronicling how much you change. At the last shoot we had a lot of fun, and got some great pics of you sat in an old fashioned washing tub. To you, reading this however many years in the future, that probably sounds very funny! But trust me, it’s a huge trend right now. And you look gorgeous anyway.

In a couple of weeks you’ll have yet another professional shoot because you won the regional competition for ‘Face of the Baby Show’. I was extremely pleased. Every mummy knows their baby is gorgeous, but I’m lucky enough that everyone else agrees with me! So far you have won the photoshoot with all the photos included for us to print at leisure. I’m looking forward to having the pics taken, I just need to make sure I pick out the right outfits for you. In a few months time you’ll be put in for the national competition, if you win then you’ll be included on future advertising for the show, and will receive a year’s modelling contract with a baby modelling agency! I didn’t even realise that they had agencies for babies!


There does seem to be an awful lot of emphasis on how truly scrumptious you are. So it always makes me happy to see you developing so well with other things. You love to read stories (just like your mummy) and sing songs. You're also itching to move and come close and closer to crawling each day. You wave hello and goodbye and you lean in for kisses with mummy and daddy - even if you forget to close your lips and end up giving us big as slobbery ones! As you play more and more you get more involved, playing with peg puzzles and stacking cups. You're a clever girl and I'm pleased, a pretty face isn't everything.


I have seen on various sites recommendations for parents about how to compliment your children without concentrating merely on physical appearance, or on natural intelligence. To me it all seems rather obvious - of course I want you to grow up without issues or hang-ups about the way you look. But I also want you to grow up knowing beauty in all it's forms. That beauty can come from within and shine out through your smile, that what you find ugly somebody else will find beautiful, that the world around us is beautiful, that grace is the most beautiful aspect of all. And I want you to grow up knowing what it is to work hard, that intelligence is not all about books and theory, but about understanding and application. The emotional intelligence is as important as all the things you will learn at school, college or university.

And I want you to know that I love you. And that to me, it won't ever matter what you look like, or how well you do in tests. I will always be proud of you. Just like the day you were born. You are wonderful.

love always,

  Super Busy Mum Post Comment Love
Unknown said...

She really is beautiful :) and a supermodel already! Wow is she going to take the world by storm. You must be so proud of her for such achievements so early in her life! But I also applaud you for even at such a young age trying to install that beauty is more than physical appearance - but although that's true.... she is just so lovely how can you not tell her that a thousand times over! :) #justanotherlinky

Unknown said...

Gorgeous photos and I do agree that she's really beautiful. Such great achievements for a young age... well done! Lovely letter too for your little one, for sure she would be proud of herself reading this post one day. #justanotherlinky

Something Crunchy Mummy said...

Gorgeous photos and a lovely letter. Thanks for linking up with #justanotherlinky xx

Unknown said...

She is a gorgeous girl - I love that second photo. Thank you for linking to #PoCoLo x

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