To My Daughter on Her Birthday

Dearest Daughter,

On the occasion of your fourth birthday I thought I would write you a letter to tell you what has been on my mind lately. I can’t say “it seems like only yesterday that you were born” because it has been a very full and long four years. You are a very determined and independent little girl . . . smart and full of life. You wear your emotions out in the open and those moods can change with the blink of an eye. We should have been warned about this by your “behavior” before you were born!

About 6 weeks before you arrived I started to notice contractions that just would not relax. It got so bad one night that your Dad and I went to the hospital to have it checked out and they confirmed that yes, I was having contractions but was not necessarily in labor for which we were very thankful. I spent the next 5 weeks doing my best to keep labor at bay so you could stay inside and grow big and strong; and BIG you did grow. By the time we neared your due date you had decided to make things a little difficult and not come along on your own. Dr. Schwartz decided I was getting a little too big and it would be best to encourage you to make your arrival. She planned to have the hospital call us sometime after midnight the night of Thanksgiving that year. We slept through the night and even headed out for a little “Black Friday” shopping on Friday morning only to get the call as we were walking into Old Navy.

Dad and I headed to the hospital and spent the day waiting and waiting for the moment when we would meet you. You hung out just long enough for us to watch LSU lose to Arkansas and then I was allowed to push you out. But your stubbornness was just beginning and you had to arrive in your own fashion – appearing face up with your little hand by your face. This made Dr. Schwartz a little nervous but you turned out fine and VERY LARGE – nearly 10 pounds. We were very excited to have a little girl and your brother was super excited to become a Big Brother.

You were an easy baby . . . slept when you were supposed to sleep and ate when you were supposed to eat. Your first year went by very quickly and before I knew it we were celebrating your first birthday. You started walking not long after you turned one and we took you to Santa Fe that Christmas where you toddled around Uncle Boyd and Aunt Susan’s house and tried to walk in the snow. You were adorable all bundled up for the cold.

From the very beginning you have wanted to do whatever your brother does and this continues through today. You don’t see age differences and you certainly have never let “being a girl” stand in your way; nothing stops you and you will try everything. You have been a climber since before you could walk and I knew it was only a matter of time before you ended up in the hospital. Just a few days into May 2010 you decided to jump from one of our new chairs and landed head first on the coffee table instantly splitting your forehead wide open. Dad says you did not cry very long and he has pictures of you on the way to the hospital with a smile on your face. You had a great time at the hospital trying to talk to everyone that walked by and you were a great little patient.

A few days after you hurt your head, your sister was born and you became a Big Sister. This is title you are very proud to have and I know you girls will be great friends. Having a sister is very special and you are the specialist sister of all because you are BOTH a Little Sister and a Big Sister! You were very gentle with her when she was born and wanted to help but now that she is older you once again forget age and size differences and think she is as tough as you. I promise one day she will be that tough.

You started school in August of 2010 and this opened up a whole new world for you. You could not wait to start at Community Montessori where your brother went for several years. The teachers at school have high praise for you and we all know that you are a very smart little girl. You can already count to twenty and understand your “teens” and can even write the numbers. You love coloring and have excellent pencil control and love writing your name. It amazes me that you can spell words already and soon you will be reading. Another favorite of yours right now is dancing and you started ballet last summer. This past year I took you to see the musical Annie and the movie and you love all the songs singing them over and over. You also got to see the Phoenix Ballet perform Cinderella.
I hope that as you continue to grow up you never lose your independent nature or your knowledge that you can do whatever you want. I love you very much and look forward see what you discover in the next years.

                                                                                    Love, Mom