Today you turn seven, and I know I say this every year, but I cannot believe you're that old. It's hard to fathom that it's been an entire year since you turned six. But it has! And so much has happened in that year.
This is the first birthday of yours where I haven't woken you up with an off-key serenade of "Happy Birthday to You." It's spring break and you're visiting with your Dad in Arizona. It breaks my heart that we're not together today, but I'm sure you're having a blast doing whatever it is that you're doing.
Lately when I put you to sleep we go back and forth saying how much we love each other. It ends up being a contest of who can love the other one more. You'll say, "I love you all the way to China, and then to Egypt, and then to the moon, and then to Mars, and then to Pluto, and then back to Earth. THAT'S how much I love you." And I'll reply with "Well, I love you all the way to Madagascar, and then to Antarctica, and then to Bolivia, and then to another galaxy far, far away, and then back to our solar system, and around the sun twice ... and then back to our house. THAT'S how much I love you."
The other night after a few of these back-and-forth proclamations you said, "I love you all the way to ... to ... to ..." and you took a long pause to think of somewhere reeeeeeeaaally far away that we've never said of before. Somewhere that would top all the places we've ever thought of. And I took that opportunity to insert a place for you, which was "MY BUTT." (bellowed loudly in my deepest "man voice")
La, I really don't know if I've ever heard you laugh that hard in all of your seven years.
It's good to know that I can still crack you up by saying the word "butt."
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This morning I'm sitting here thinking about how many adjustments you've had to make over the past year, and how you've done it ever so beautifully.
In the past year, we've gone from being "just the two of us" ...
... to being "the three of us."
And the smoothness of that transition has positively blown my mind. It's clear that the three of us were meant to be together.
Over the past year, we grew to love not only Dr P, but also his sweet dog, Huckleberry.
And then we had to deal with the sadness of losing Huck. This is the first time that you've known and loved an animal, and had to let him go. It's also the first time I've loved an animal and had to let him go. It was very hard, even though we only knew him for less than a year. I can't imagine how Dr P felt after spending thirteen years with him.
What a very special little man Huckleberry was.
You also had to say goodbye to Chicago and to your best friend J when we moved to Alabama.
I love this photo for oh-so-many reasons.
The two of you were inseparable, and I know it wasn't easy to say goodbye.
But when J came to visit last weekend for your birthday party, the two of you picked right back up where you left off. When we met J and her mama at the airport, J bounded over to you, wrapped you up in a bear hug and yelled, "La, I love you so much!"
What a fantastic reunion. It was then that I realized that the two of you will probably always be great friends. It's almost like when I see my best friend from childhood, Mellissa, who I haven't lived in the same state with since I was five. It all comes back the instant we see each other again, and I'm sure that's just how it will be for the two of you.
This is the best photo I have of you and J from your birthday party. You can clearly tell that the two of you stayed up until midnight the night before, chatting and catching up and blatantly ignoring my pleas to go to sleep.
This past year, you've grown to know and love Dr P's sweet nephews, who will be your cousins when Dr P and I get married. The three of you get along so well, as if you've always been together. It's been such a blessing because I never thought you would have any cousins your own age.
One week ago, another "future cousin" was born, and when we went to visit her, I was reminded of what it was like seven years ago when you were born. Baby Neely was six pounds ... almost the same size you were at birth. I swear it was just yesterday that you were a petite, fragile, wrinkly little bundle just like her. And now you're a little woman. It is so darn hard to believe.
This past year you performed what will likely be your last duty as a flower girl, in cousin Joel and Tami's wedding. You're just getting too old!
This year you will be in our wedding, but you'll be a maid-of-honor instead. You'll be sharing that duty with Aunt M. And I know you'll do an incredible job, because you're already a detail-oriented, rigid, time-sensitive, control freak. (I mean that in the nicest way possible) You'll be perfect! You're exactly the type of person that my scatterbrained self will need to help keep everything straight on my wedding day. You and Aunt M will be the best maid-of-honor team that's ever existed. I can't wait!
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La, I hope that you are having an incredible birthday today. I'm sure that you are. I can't wait to have you back in a couple of days. Dr P and I keep saying that it's just not the same without you here.
In the meantime, I just want to tell you that I love you all the way to MY BUTT.
Hehe. Just kidding.
The truth is that there are no words to describe the amount of love I have for you in my heart. It's infinite.
Happy birthday to my sweet, beautiful, grown-up little princess. I love you so very much.
2 comments:
Absolutely beautiful! (This totally makes up for the lack of regular posting, by the way. I think I'll forgive you now.) Happy birthday La! P.S. The word butt makes me laugh too. It's a good one.
Great post. Love it!
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