I started off this post thinking about writing all the
things that are you. It's been a while since I've written and I think about you all.the.time and how I haven't written nearly as often as I should. And as I started
writing, this post turned into little stories as to who you are right now. It may not always flow perfectly but thinking
about you and what you’ve accomplished so far in your short life makes me smile
and so proud to be your mama. Here you go
baby girl (smile):
Wow. I cannot believe
how quickly time flies. In less than two
weeks, you will be FIVE and I just cannot
believe it. In some ways I can totally
see where the last five years have gone.
I’ve gotten to watch you grow and learn and discover just who you
are. And yet, it doesn’t seem like you
could have been with us nearly that long.
Are you sure you are not turning 2?! (Although the five going on fifteen attitude
surely reminds me – wink.)
Five years ago today I was waiting for you. My original due date was five years ago
yesterday, January 4, 2011. Then it got
switched to the third, but you had other things planned. Waiting waiting waiting. You taught us early on you would come when
you were ready, and you haven’t changed.
You do things in your own time (with us sometimes adding in some
prodding – smile).
You are such a wonderful little person. You love to play dress-up, most excitedly
changing into different ball gowns, while twirling and curtsying. And let’s not forget the accessories. What princess would be complete without a
tiara?! And when we are at A’s house, it
is adorable as you have M and/or A announce who is coming down the stairs, and
then you come down the stairs, dressed as a princess in full regalia, smiling
and so excited to be the bell of the ball. (The last time we were over there
you announced you were getting married and were wearing one of the Disney
Princess wedding gowns, beautiful as ever.
I so look forward to that day but I can wait twenty years or so for it
and I hope we do not have drama. Why is it you like to play and pretend there
is drama?! You were pretending you had called off the wedding but staying in the wedding dress. We could all use a little less
drama in our lives. – smile)
When you aren’t playing dress up, we can find you coloring
or writing. You coloring skills have
improved beyond what I thought they could in a year. You draw things, like people and they have to
have all the hands, feet, eyes, eyebrows, etc, something you were just starting
to learn about a year ago. You draw
animals, flowers, everything. You love
to color and make things look so magical.
And your writing, WOW just wow.
You practice and practice and are writing so beautifully, constantly
writing us letters.
Pretend play has become such a big thing in your life and I
love it! The number one thing you like to pretend is being a baker. You get so excited to make us many different
types of cupcakes and have told us many times you are going to be a baker. I so look forward to your creations! Your love of baking and cooking has led you
to watch cooking shows (favorite being Cupcake Wars) and the things people put
in food can be, well, we will be kind and say “creative,” but what it has
taught you is that you can try and make things out of ANYTHING and that I
absolutely love. The world is your
oyster baby!
Lastly, and this one I find so important, you have a wonderful
love for reading. You read and read and
read. We have so many books we no longer
have room on our shelves for all the books you have collected over the
years. And you just got your first
chapter book gifted to you by your Godparents this past Christmas. Sitting there, watching you read it aloud to
us brings such happiness. You read, and
something I didn’t think would come until later, you actually comprehend what
you are reading. When it comes to a word
you don’t know, you ask us what the word is and if you do not understand what
it means, you ask. Your thirst for
knowledge is awe-inspiring.
Again, five.
Five. How can it be that you are
going to be FIVE?! Each passing moment
brings both happy and sad memories, but even the sad ones are mostly laden with
happy sad. Case in point, a happy sad
memory from this past Christmas, Christmas 2015 (happy because you are you and sad because you are growing up way too fast). This past Christmas might have been the most
fun yet. Don’t get me wrong, every
Christmas with you is fun. This is the
first time I think you really got
it. We had watched “Santa Claus is
coming to town” many times. You played
and sang songs and pretend you helped out the reindeer. You were really into it! Every day you looked forward to putting another ornament on the advent tree (although you didn't like to wait and many times we'd have to remove ornaments in teaching you about the Advent season). Then, one of my favorite moments this year happened
on Christmas Eve. It was LATE, and you
were still up. We had just opened the
present with the book and pajamas inside.
We quickly changed you into your new pajamas, read the new Christmas book (Mortimer's Christmas Manger), and you told us you were excited and
ready for Santa, he was coming to your house TONIGHT. Then you left the
room. We figured you had gone up to get
ready for bed. Nope. You came back in the room with your chair,
placed it in front of the fireplace, sat down and told us you were waiting for
Santa. You wanted to talk to Santa. He was coming and you would be there
waiting. Dada quickly snapped a picture
on his phone. You stuck your head in the
fireplace. I couldn’t help but
smile. So incredibly precious. We eventually got you upstairs by telling you
that Santa would not be able to deliver presents to our house if you were not
asleep by midnight, it was already after 11.
You raced upstairs and were asleep within 15 minutes. Again, such a big happy smile on my face
now just thinking about your excitement.
You have so much life in you and I am truly honored to get
to watch you grow and become your own little person. I look forward to writing you more letters
and showing you how wonderful it is to be your mama. A mama who is soon to have a five year
old, still can hardly imagine it's been five years. I love you to the moon and back baby girl.
Mama