“How many days until my birthday?” she asked me one hot summer day.
“Let me think. You have 62 days until your birthday,” I responded.
“Ugh! I feel like I’ve been three FOREVER!” she sighed with disappointment in her voice.
Oh, but little one… if only you COULD stay three forever. We all feel that way, don’t we? A sense of urgency to savor every moment, a desire to catalog giggles, to hold that joy so close to our hearts that it hurts. They grow so fast.
There are 8 days until her birthday and she has made her ever changing wishlists of guests, decorations, presents, and activities. I asked her to help me finalize the guest list recently and she responded, “Uhhh, Mom. I told you already: Justin Bieber, the Wildcat, all the cheerleaders, Xander, Kate, Ella, all of Miss Amy & Miss Karyn’s kids…” and the list went on & on. I will be baking cupcakes for days.
In addition to choosing the decorations, she has made one very SERIOUS request:
“Mom? Can we skip singing happy birthday? When everyone looks at me, it makes me cry.”
She normally enjoys being the center of attention, but when she turned two she cried & last year she hid, then fell, then cried. So, we’ll just light some candles, give her a high five, & eat some cake. Perhaps the cheerleaders will think of something clever.
Of one thing I’m sure… someone will cry. It may not be her, but me… tears of joy to celebrate Ellie turning four.
