Three

Tomorrow my dear girl will turn three. There is something about three that just seems to unbelievable to me. All of her life so far, I never worried about how fast it was going. When she was nursing, I marveled that I was responsible for making her grow. When she was a toddler, I worried more about her keeping up, with her late walking, clogged ears causing delays. Now it seems that time moves so quickly.

Two has been a trying year for us. Two has been filled with the challenges of developing language, developing motor skills, and developing free will. That last one of course being the roughest. There are parts of two I will not miss. Two sort of kicked my ass there for a bit.

However, lately, I just want to stop and savor. I crawl in to her tiny toddler bed with her, to help her nap (she apparently needs a crowd to do it easily, like at daycare), and at night for last minute cuddles. She whispers little secrets in my ear, observations about her day and questions about everything. Sometimes to get out of sleeping, sometimes just because. We giggle and laugh and I singer her Beatles songs and try to convince her to sleep.

Even when things are tough, and she isn't listening to us at all, and we yell to keep her from running in to the street, she so easily forgets and gives "I love you" kisses. She tries as hard as she can to curl in to a little ball for snuggles and hugs. She hugs tighter than just about anyone but her papa.

She is fierce and determined. She is nothing if not passionate. She is shy when she meets new people, but wild with enthusiasm when she is sees those she knows and loves. (future introvert anyone?) She is a contradiction. She loves pink and princesses yet picks the dinosaur book over and over again. She wore her pink spelunking hat, her wrists covered in new bracelets, while using her new tool set to fix a host of imaginary problems in the living room. She spins like a ballerina until How It's Made comes on, and then watches it more intently than any cartoon.

She is everything I could have hoped for, and so much more. The surprises and fun every day are worth every tantrum, every challenging little moment.

Happy Birthday my little Sprout.