3 years...

Addison,

I'm sitting here thinking about what to write to you for your birthday but I'm so distracted by the fact that you are ALREADY THREE. I know someday you'll have kids of your own and you'll understand the time warp that is parenting, but it seems like just yesterday I was holding you for the first time. This year, like the previous two, has been amazing [and sometimes a little crazy].

In the last twelve months we have watched you blossom from a toddler to a full-fledged preschooler. Your vocabulary never ceases to amaze us - you use worlds like 'terrific' and 'amazing' all the time. When Daddy dropped you at daycare the other day and told you to be a good girl, you looked at him and said, "Don't worry Daddy, I got this." You talk [all the time :)] in sentences and you are quick to repeat everything we say [good or bad...]. 

You are still working on the whole 'coordination' bit of life - we joke that you're accident prone like your mama. I think you are just so busy taking in the world that sometimes walls [and door frames, and counters...] get in your way. You LOVE to run and climb and [a recent development] somersault. You are constantly in motion - you have the best dance moves ever and, even though someday you'll hate me for sharing this on the Internet, you do the silliest 'naked butt' dance after your bath every night. You are starting gymnastics and I love to watch you learn to tumble and climb... You also proved this summer that your a fish just like your daddy and completely fearless about water. Grandma Marcia and I took you swimming and you didn't even blink, you just jumped in and thankfully she was there to pull you up. This winter you'll be starting swim lessons with the 3-5 year old class and I can tell already that you're going to be a great little swimmer.

The biggest milestone this year has been watching you become a big sister. I wondered how you would handle having someone steal a bit of your thunder but I can honestly say you are the sweetest, most loving big sister Cohen could have ever hoped for. You are always concerned about where he is and what he's doing, you LOVE bringing me whatever baby paraphernalia I need [binks, wipes, diapers, toys, bottles...], and nothing makes you smile more than making Cohen smile. Watching the two of  you interact makes my heart melt. He adores you and I hope you always love him as much as you do now - even though someday I'm sure he'll break your favorite toy or follow you around when you're with your friends. I wanted nothing more as a mother than to know that my daughter had a sibling - a forever friend and partner in crime.

I know that in another blink of an eye, I will be writing to you just before you start school, when you turn 16, before you graduate, and as you go off to college... So please just know this baby girl - I have said it from the moment I laid eyes on you and I will say it until my last breath - you are my favorite little girl in the whole wide world and I love you more than life. Every day you take my breath away - whether it's because you wrapped me up in a big, tight hug just when I needed it most, when you blow me kisses and tell me you love me, and when I look at those big blue eyes and beautiful curls and realize that you are one of the best things I have ever been a part of. You make me want to be a better person so I can set a good example for you, you teach me patience (every day), and remind me that you are looking at this world for the first time - and sometimes it's funny, sometimes it's scary, and sometimes it doesn't make sense. Being a part of that journey with you means the world to me. I adore you Addison... there aren't words to tell you how proud I am to be your Mama or to tell you how much I love you.

Happy birthday baby girl... may every year be better than the last for you.