Letter to My Four Year Old

My Dearest Madelyn Grace,

I am little late in writing this letter as you have been four now for more than month.  As I sit her to reflect on the last few years, I cannot believe that you are already four.  I don't know where the time has gone.  It seems like yesterday that we held you for the first time and marveled at your blonde hair and blue eyes.  We were so taken with how different you were from your sister right from the start.  You were an adorable baby and you have grown into an even more adorable preschooler!  You were such an easy baby and hardly ever cried.  You were always happy just being wherever we were.  You never had an issue going with the flow of our daily routine which often meant a lot of time in your carseat as we carted your older sister around to all of her different preschool activities.  My only regret about your babyhood was that it went by way too fast.  You did not stay small for very long.  This was especially sad for me as you are my last baby.  I had to close chapters (read: give away clothes and toys) far faster than I had imagined.  Your sister had always been such a peanut, not hitting the 20 pound mark until she was 18 months old.  You obviously got your daddy's height genes and you grew like a weed from the start.  You reminded me very much of the hungry catepillar.  You were always hungry and you ate all the time.  Amma nicknamed you jabba the hut for a while.  I loved all of your rolls.  You eventually grew into all of those rolls and just like that hungry catepillar, you made a transition to a beautiful butterfly.

I would be remiss if I didn't share with you my all time favorite story from the last year.  You and I have had several conversations in the last year about appropriate and inappropriate behavior.  So much so that at 3 years of age you could say the word "appropriate" and use it correctly in a sentence.  It figures because you have heard it A. LOT.  Although you can say that word correctly, you have a funny speech pattern where you don't say the "be" sounds of words that begin with that letter combination.  This means that you say "behavior" as "havior."  I hope you always say it that way.  I know you won't, but I can hope.  Even though you will outgrow this, I will always call it "havior" now.  One day I had a headache (which you call "freddick".  You were busy twirling away and you  noticed that I was taking some medicine.  You tilted your head to the side and said, "Do you have a freddick?"  I responded, "Yes, I do."  In a very sweet and innocent voice with your head still tilted to the side you followed with, "It it my havior?" I completely forgot about my headache as I scooped you up to laugh and hug you.  It is so your personality in a nutshell.  You are footloose and fancy free but you are sweet at the same time.

You have many interests.  All of them remind me how different you are from your older sister.  You love all things girly, pink, glitter, sparkly things, pretend play, princesses, tinkerbell, lip gloss, dolls, getting braids in your hair, and playing dress up.  When asked 6 months ago what you wanted to be when you grew up, you said you wanted to be a princess.  A few months later you changed it to a princess nurse.  Your favorite video is "Alvin and the Chickenmunks" as you call it.  You frequently re-enact the musical numbers from the movie with a microphone in front of the mirror.  It is clear to me that the person you idol the most is your big sister.  You love everything about her and tell me how much you miss her when she is not with you.  This makes my heart happy.  I feel very strongly that sisters are really the only friend that life gives you and no one knows you better.  I try very hard (and will continue to do so) to cultivate that friendship under my roof in hopes that one day when you are a grown up, you will still treasure each other.

You are the definition of free spirit and definitely sweetly sassy.  You can be found at any given time dancing to the beat of your own drummer.   Your confidence and self esteem are so strong already.   This does have a tendency to give me heartburn because you are not bothered by not following directions or listening well.   Make no mistake, my littlest love, even though you and I will struggle over this for years to come because our personalities are so opposite, the qualities that drive me the most nuts are the very same ones that I love and adore the most in you.  I hope that your self confidence and self esteem develop deep roots and only grow and grow.  I know they will serve you well later in life.

Thank you for the last 4 years, Maddie Grace.  You and your sister are the lights of my life and I am so blessed and lucky to be your mommy.  I couldn't possibly love you more.

xoxo,
Mama

The Apple Doesn't Fall Far From the Tree...

I remember so vividly May 28, 2003.  It was my last birthday before my 3rd decade of life would begin and I was spending the day in the best possible way I could imagine.  I got to have an ultrasound of our growing baby.  This was our first pregnancy and we were over the moon excited.  I could hardly wait to find out if we were going to have a boy or a girl.  I waited as the tech struggled and struggled to find out the gender of our little bun in the oven.  Baby was beyond uncooperative.  After what seemed like an eternity, and a bunch of having me change positions, the doctor asked what we thought we were having.  Larry said "I think it is a girl and she thinks it is a boy."  The doctor smiled and said, "daddy is right.  Baby is a girl!"  I could hardly believe my ears.  I was so excited.  Honestly I had so hoped it was a girl as I had always wanted a daughter.  I know I would have been equally ecstatic had she been a boy but there was something so comforting about having a girl.  I remember thinking that day of dolls, tea parties, and dress up.  I remember thinking I wouldn't be sharing the world of little boys and all that entails.  I never in a million years thought that I would spend any amount of time at sporting events.

Megan Elizabeth made her arrival 4.5 months after that day.  The sight of her face is still one of the most beautiful memories I carry in my heart.  As it turns out, all of the things I had thought of that day...the dolls, tea parties, etc...were so naive.  Megan is a tomboy through and through.  She excels at just about any sport she tries.  She is always right in there playing with the boys at school.  She has little to no interest in the sterotypical girl activities.  Do I mind?  NOT. AT. ALL.  My heart bursts with pride.

This past weekend, she had yet another softball game.  She plays on a team that is 85% 2nd grade girls that tower over her in stature.   My little dynamo has no fear.  She goes out there and whacks the heck out of pitches and holds her own.  I find myself yelling and cheering and being one of those moms that just lights up watching her daughter excel.   Larry umpires and  helps at most of these games.  He has a passion for this game and I know she gets her skill mainly from him.  Her intensity at sports and her aptitude is such a reflection of her daddy.  She is his legacy through and through.  Saturdays game was one of her best.  She made an unassisted double play to end the inning and the bleachers went nuts with applause and cheering her name.  As Megan ran to the bench to prepare to be at-bat, she was crying.  I ran over to her to make sure she was ok.  I asked her why she was crying and with her huge, beautiful brown eyes, she looked up at me and said, "I am just so happy."

Larry is often asked if he is sad that he didn't end up with a son.  He always answers, "absolutely not."  I know that he has the best possible situation.  He has a daughter that he can mentor in sports but adores her daddy in a way that only a daughter can.  She is absolutely her daddy's girl.

I am so lucky and blessed.  I thank God everyday for these moments.