I JUST CAN’T BELIEVE HOW FAST YOU’RE GROWING. EVERYONE SAYS THAT TIME SEEMS TO FLY WHEN YOU’RE WATCHING YOUR CHILDREN GROW UP, AND THEY’RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. YOU SEEM TO LEARN NEW WORDS EVERY DAY. WHEN YOU COUNT TO TEN, I CAN HEAR YOUR VOICE CHANGING FROM THAT TODDLER VOICE TO AN ACTUAL CHILD’S VOICE. I HATE IT, BUT I LOVE IT. YOU STILL SLEEP IN BED WITH US EVERY NIGHT. I DON’T CARE. I LOVE HAVING YOU NEAR ME ALL NIGHT TO CUDDLE. YOU SLEEP IN YOUR BED FOR 3-5 HOURS PER NIGHT, BUT ALWAYS AROUND MIDNIGHT OR 1AM YOU WAKE UP CALLING, “MOMMA. MOMMA” AND I GET UP, HOLD YOU AND BRING YOU TO BED WITH US. YOU’RE SLEEPING BETTER, SO I’M SLEEPING BETTER, AND HECK, EVEN IF YOU AREN’T SLEEPING WELL, I’M OK WITH IT B/C I KNOW THIS TIME IS PASSING SO QUICKLY, I NEED TO GET MY LOVE AND SNUGGLES IN BEFORE YOU DON’T WANT THEM ANYMORE.
YOU LOVE TO COLOR, YOU PREFER MARKERS SO YOU CAN COLOR ALL OVER YOURSELF, BUT YOU DON’T GET THEM TOO OFTEN. YOU LOVE TO EAT TOAST WITH BUTTER. YOU DON’T LIKE JELLY OR PEANUT BUTTER OR ANYTHING ELSE ON IT, JUST BUTTER. YOU’LL EAT THINGS FOR YOUR NEENA AND YOUR GRAMMA (GRANDMA LINDA) THAT YOU WON’T EAT FOR ME, BUT I THINK THAT’S PAR FOR THE COURSE. KIDS’LL DO THINGS FOR OTHER PEOPLE THAT THEY JUST WON’T DO FOR MOMMA AND DADDY. YOU LOVE THE ZOO, AND YOUR PEEPAW AND DOTTIE RENEWED OUR MEMBERSHIP THIS YEAR FOR OUR BIRTHDAYS, SO THAT’S AWESOME. WE WENT TO THE ZOO THIS PAST SUNDAY AND WHILE LOOKING AT THE OSTRICHES, REALIZED THAT THEY WERE ABOUT TO MATE, AND YOU WERE ON MY SHOULDERS, SO I JUST TURNED AROUND AND GOT YOU TO LOOK AT THE ELEPHANTS. I DON’T WANT TO HAVE TO EXPLAIN WHAT THEY WERE DOING TO YOU AT AGE 2, I’D PROBABLY JUST SAY THEY WERE DANCING OR SOMETHING IF YOU EVEN ASKED. BUT YOU DIDN’T NOTICE THEM, SO WHILE IT WAS AWKWARD FOR YOUR DADDY AND ME (AND THE PARENTS ACROSS THE FENCE THAT HAD KIDS THAT WERE OLD ENOUGH TO KNOW WHAT WAS GOING ON, HAHAHA), IT DIDN’T EVEN REGISTER ON YOUR RADAR.
YOU LOVE MAYA. YOU DON’T REMEMBER LULU, WHICH IS SAD, BUT I CAN’T BLAME YOU B/C YOU WEREN’T OLD ENOUGH TO REMEMBER HER. I KNOW THAT MAYA’S GETTING OLDER, AND HER TIME IS APPROACHING PROBABLY FASTER THAN I LIKE TO THINK – I CAN ONLY HOPE THAT WHEN IT HAPPENS IT WON’T HURT YOU, OR THAT REALLY, YOU WON’T BE OLD ENOUGH TO UNDERSTAND HOW MUCH IT SUCKS TO LOSE A PET. AND ONE DAY, LATER ON, WHEN YOU’RE OLDER, MAYBE WE CAN GET ANOTHER PUPPY THAT YOU CAN GROW TO LOVE – AND BY THE TIME IT’S THAT DOGS TIME, YOU’LL BE MUCH MUCH OLDER AND CAN HANDLE IT BETTER. ALTHOUGH, IT’S NEVER EASY. EVEN AT 33 I STILL GET SAD THINKING ABOUT LULU. I EVEN MISS MY FIRST DOG, TAFFY. SHE WAS SO AWESOME. YOU’D HAVE LOVED HER.
ANYWAYS, THAT’S ALL FOR NOW. YOU’RE THE MOST AMAZING THING IN THE WORLD AND I LOVE YOU MORE THAN YOU’LL EVER KNOW.
♥ MOMMA