Three

Dear Madeline,

Today you turn three years old. I have a feeling this is going to be a significant age for you. After all, our family is about to change in a very big way. You will never be two again. Life will never be the same again.

I'm thrilled that our family is growing. I just know you'll be a great big sister. Still, there's a part of me that mourns our time alone together. For the past three years, I've been able to devote all my energy into you. I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to drink you in, watch you grow. You taught me to be a mother, and for that, and for so many other things, I'll be forever grateful.

I hope you always know how deeply you are loved by your father and me. I hope you feel it down to the tips of your toes. I want you to grow up with the security of knowing that nothing you could say or do could change that. You are our inner light.

And I hope you go through life with enough confidence to grab happiness by the handful. Don't ever let that inner Maddie Bear spark grow dim. Don't ever forget that you are awesome just as you are.

I'm so proud of you, my sweet girl. I'm proud that you held your friend's hand at school while she was crying. I'm proud that you have so much empathy that an episode of Caillou where his friends are mean to him makes you tear up. I'm proud that you remembered to ask to use the potty when we out today. I'm proud that you know the lyrics to "Beautiful Boy" and all the words to the book Ten Apples Up on Top. I'm proud of every joke you tell, every pair of shoes you get on yourself, and every loving pat you give my belly. I'm so proud of the cool little kid you've turned into...seemingly overnight.

Happy third birthday, Madeline Lee.

Love,
Your Biggest Fan