Dearest Audrey Grace,
Today my sweet daughter, you are 6 years old.
I can barely believe it.
Somehow it feels like just yesterday I sat on your auntie and uncles couch on a typical Saturday evening, pondering about you, and yet it wasn’t a typical night at all. It was the weekend before you were to be born and I was overwhelmed with how lucky I felt. You squirmed in my belly and I said out loud what I had felt in my heart for nine long months, “I cant believe I will actually have a little girl soon.” I was astounded and in shock and knew that I would love you in such a special way.
When you were born I looked into your little round eyes and felt the lovely mother daughter bond grow instantly. The one that we had begun together during those months when you stretched my belly to the size of a watermelon and when I listened to you hiccup until I cried with happiness.
You were a dream brought to life and I treasured every second of your babyhood.
Flash forward six years and I am in awe of who you have grown into.
You still have the beautiful round eyes and the fine hair you were born with, but now you show this perfect, gappy, little girl smile when you laugh. You laugh a lot. A laugh that makes me smile every time I hear it. You don’t hold back when you find something silly or funny and I admire that about you. You keep up with your brothers and love being silly with them. I am always telling you that you are the rose between the two thorns. Of course your brothers role their eyes at that. But it is true. You are just like a rose!
You are sweet and loving, compassionate and giving, creative and thoughtful and you never stop imagining and caring.
You would play dolly’s in your room all day if I let you. You love on them and anything that is small and/or cuddly. Just the other day I woke up to you having set up the cutest display in your bedroom. Dolls and stuffed animals were lined in rows, they sat in moving boxes and cereal boxes and they “held” little “books” you had neatly made for each of them. I wondered when you had gotten up and with what time did you have to make this classroom setting. You love to play teacher and mommy and nurse and take care of all the things that will let you hold and rock them. When he allows, your little brother is your favorite play mate for your make believe stories. It is the cutest thing to watch but I am never fast enough to catch it on film. He will cry like a real life baby for you, which in turn makes you coo and awwww over him like a real life Mama. Which always makes me swoon over the two of you and your love. Oh how you love your brothers!
You and your little brother are almost the same size at this point and I worry about how petite you are. I remember those exact words written in my own baby book when I was about your age which gives me some peace knowing that your old Mama filled out okay. 😉 You may be small and mighty and I have no doubt that you are fierce. You prove this when you keep up with your older brother and his friends. 😉
You sometimes prove to me that your sweet side is evened out by your sassy side. You show this side mostly when I am trying to dress you or when you want your own way or want to determine your own bedtime. You are small but you are a determined wee thing. You stand up to your oldest brother and like to boss everyone in our home around. Because, as proven most times, you DO have great inventive ideas on how to finish a task, in a better way.
You love to cook with me and are the best little assistant. You also love to choose watermelon and sliced carrots over a regular dinner that the rest of us will eat. Agriculture amazes you and I love that we share that. You marvel at how flowers grow and how produce sprouts from the dirt and you are always reminding us that we should be making healthy choices.
You love to make crafts and often cut up paper into a million pieces all over the house. Sometimes I think you are trying to recreate a scene from your favorite movie “Frozen” with all the little snowflakes you make from your Daddy’s stash of computer paper. You have even been known to sneak glue sticks and Mommy’s special pair of hair cutting scissors in order to complete a craft and make it perfection. You aren’t the best at cleaning up your beautiful masterpieces though and I can honestly blame you for a million dried up markers whose lids you are known for making magically dissapear.
You are giving and caring and often use your crafting skills to make pictures and presents for people. You proudly make pictures for your kindergarten teachers and pray to run into them around townover summer break. They maintain celebrity status to you at this point and you wonder if they know more then Mommy at times though you try to tell me so nicely. You loved school this year and especially loved helping all the younger kids. You prefer to wear dresses to school and are already planning your outfit for the return of school this September.
I cant believe you are six. Going into grade one. My little darling who is turning into a little lady.
I miss your chubby baby cheeks and your rolly polly baby legs but I love that you have grown into this little lean lady-girl who is mastering gymnastic moves and who loves to kick soccer balls with Daddy. You don’t care about whether your hair is brushed or whether your shirt matches your skirt but you do care how glittery and frilly your outfits are. I love your priorites.
You are only girl that belongs to me and I love that you are teaching our boy filled family how to treat a lady. However, this does not, stop you from asking for a sister every other day. I pray that our relationship will grow into one that is so special though that you wont feel the loss of not having a sister to share lifes secrets with. Besides, I tell you all the time that if you train your brothers enough, one day they may learn to shower properly and may infact marry, giving you two sisters in law! Right now, you are still hooked on the movie Frozen and still would rather have an “Elsa” to your “Anna” so you just don’t buy what I am trying to sell.
Please though, my sweet girl, if you can take anything to heart that I tell you, please remember that you are perfect the way you are now. I love your glitter wearing, glue stick wielding, bossy acting, crazy hair sporting, craft making, squeaky voice speaking, love giving little girl.
You were the perfect addition to our family 6 years ago and you continue t be the right amount of to help me with our testosterone filled house. Your eyes are still one of my favorite things to get lost in. I cherish those moments where you allow me to stare at you long enough to put my mama heart at ease before you wiggle free from your spot on my lap and into this big world.
I am forever grateful that we have been given these last six years with you. This front row spot that allows us to fall in love with you every single day. When you speak matter-of-factly, when you proudly wave a new drawing in front of us, when you twirl in a lacy tutu, when you get as muddy as your brothers, when you reassure us with your old-soul-kind-of-ways and when you remind us that every day with you is an absolute blessing.
Happy birthday my wee little sweet pea. May you feel your Mama’s love on your sixth birthday and forever and ever.
Mommy
xoxo
