*** This post has nothing to do with makeup. ***
Happy Birthday Pickle!!
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| First Father's Day |
How are you four years-old already?! I remember your arrival like it was just yesterday. You came into this world with barely any vitals; it took a team of doctors to get you breathing. But just 10 minutes later you were healthy, strong, and "the most alert baby on the ward" according to the nurses. You haven't slowed down since.
You reached all of your milestones ahead of schedule and you've been fiercely independent since you were just a few days old when you would fight to hold your head up while we burped you. You don't like to ask for help and will try things over and over until you get it right. Your threshold for frustration is much higher than mine and I admire you for that.
This year we've seen your personality emerge even more and Daddy and I are so proud of the person you are. You are helpful, kind, generous, and loving. You are cautious but brave. You are inquisitive, determined, and you don't put up with shenanigans. You are also quite possibly the funniest person I know (you telling Daddy he's "exhausting" was pure gold!).
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| My happy, sweet Aspen Lily |
I'm sure I have forgotten some of your Aspen-isms but here are a few that stand out:
- flumb = thumb
- lasterday = yesterday
- Tatty = Daddy (when you're annoyed with him)
- 100 = you use this as a form of measurement ("lemons are 100 sour"; "I love you 100")
Infanthood and toddlerdom are well behind us and in a few short months you will no longer be a preschooler. You are so excited to start Kindergarten and I know that you will love school. But you going to school scares me. I worry about other kids being mean to you. I worry about you doubting yourself. I worry about you becoming self-conscious. I worry about others chipping away at your self-assurance.
I want to protect you from all of those things, and so many more, but I can't. Negativity is an unfortunate fact of life. To shield you from it, if I could, would be to clip your wings. You need to experience negativity in order to learn how to choose kindness (even when it is tempting to be cruel). You need to be challenged in order to grow. You need to make mistakes in order to learn. It's your father's and my goal to raise you in such a way that you are up to the challenges that life will throw at you.
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| Aspen, aspiring makeup artist. |
Aspen, there is something that I want you to know: Daddy and I will always love you. On days when you feel all alone, we will love you. When you feel like no one cares, we will love you. When you've done something wrong and are afraid to tell us, we will love you. And when you are angry with us and are convinced that we don't, we will love you.
And on that note, my beautiful daughter, I wish you a very happy birthday and a year full of wonder, adventure, excitement, happiness, and learning ahead.
I love you 100,
Mommy
