Justification for a life off-line

Rowan,

I hate to tell you that I have deleted some of your life--or at least the record I have of it. I'm not entirely sure how this happened, but I think it had something to do with moving, not having time to e-mail, etc. I previously set up an e-mail account for you and wrote you little notes on occasion, usually mentioning milestones, letting you know what we've been up to, etc. Today I went to send you an e-mail about some of your new accomplishments (you can recognize every letter of the alphabet!) and the e-mail was immediately sent back to me. Yes, I, the not-so-organized of your parents somehow let your account lapse and all e-mails have been deleted. Gone. For good. Not just mine, either. Your Grandma, Aunt Kathi, Hope and Grace, and Susan had all sent you e-mails. Why I didn't just print them out I have no idea. So, I'm rethinking the whole "using the internet to record every detail" idea. I think tomorrow I will go buy a journal and, though the entries may be sporadic at best, I'll do my best to remind you of your life as a toddler. I may even do some back-entries. But I won't get ahead of myself. With your little brother or sister on the way in a few short weeks, I can't promise that I'll accomplish a whole lot. And now probably isn't the time to mention that I can't seem to find your baby book. I'm very much hoping it's in Charlotte at our house or packed away in a box with baby hings (one of the few yet to be unpacked). So, I apologize for any and everything that is (and will be) lost.

I hope, even though you may not remember all of our fun and I may not have documented it as well as either of us may have liked, I love being your mommy. I love spending my days with you. I find so much joy in all of you accomplishments. You are my perfect daughter and I will love you forever.