Happy Birthday, Princess!

Dearest Katie,

Happy Birthday, Little Miss! Today you turn 4. Where have the last 4 years gone??? How do I put into words what an amazing little girl you are? You are truly a middle child. You enjoy playing with your brothers when it suits you, but you are are just as content playing all by yourself. You want to do things on your own and are not afraid to tell others what you want. You are a great at sharing, but love our special alone time at night. You are all these things and so much more.

I hope you enjoyed your 4th birthday party. It was your first year for inviting friends from school and it looked like you had a great time. Your "boyfriend" came and you played together until he had to leave. He left professing his love for you. Although it was absolutely adorable, I don't think I'm ready for you to like boys yet. I love watching you leave school...Michael chasing you on the other side of the fence, trying to catch your hand. You pretending to run away from him, giggling with pure joy.

As I look back over the last four years, attempting to write my first birthday blog letter to my daughter, these are the things I recall. Some memories are more vivid than others. Thankfully, I like to take ALOT of pictures as my dear friend Charlotte recently pointed out to me.

So here goes...I didn't put on much baby weight with you. I only craved salad and the smell of cooking meat made my stomach queasy. I was scheduled for an induction on the morning of May 27th, but when we arrived at the hospital they did not have a birthing room available for me. I had to undergo a stress test in which they confirmed I was NOT having contractions. (The lack of contractions being the reason I was being induced for the second time.) We were asked to wait until noon for a room, much to my disappointment.

Since we had a few hours to burn and were in the process of looking for a bigger vehicle, your daddy and I decided to go and check out the two mini-vans we had decided on. Our first stop was Jim Click Mazda. The sales man asked us what we were looking for and then showed us to a previous year model that met our requirements. We test drove it...and the rest is history. We were in the process of signing the paperwork when NWMC called to let us know that my bed was ready. The sales man asked when I was due, to which I replied "Sometime today!" We returned to the hospital to begin the induction and the waiting process. As with your brothers, we did not know if we would be welcoming Andrew Scott or Katherine Grace at the end of the day.

You were such a peanut when you arrived. I was so excited to hear the words, "It's a girl!" Your big brother didn't quite know what to make of you. It didn't take you long to start packing on the pounds and before we knew it you were our little rolie-polie.

Your first year, according to the record books, was uneventful. You were so different from your brother. You were little miss independent. You wanted to hold your own bottle from an early age. You had no use for a pacifier, unlike your older brother Bobby who would hoard his on the side of his bed. You were never afraid to go after what you wanted. You climbed furniture with the best of them and had no fear. You reached all of your milestones at the appropriate times and turned into a toddler before we knew what hit us.

Your second year brought some changes our way. Your nana was diagnosed with a rare cancer. She underwent an intense surgery, followed up by chemotherapy. She was a trooper! While she was working on getting better, you attended day care for the first time. Miss Tracy took good care of you for 8 months, but it wasn't long before you were once again spending your days with Nana.

Your third year included such milestones as beginning pre-school at Cottonwood, learning how to spell your name, and making new friends. You have been an amazing big sister! You love Andy unconditionally and love mimicking mommy. Andy is very fortunate to have you for his big sister. I know that you will be there to watch over him and assist him in making some of his earliest mistakes. You participated in a team sport for the first time and had a blast. Little league soccer will never be the same again! You went to Disneyland for the first time and met every single princess. You discovered that it is okay to be beautiful AND smart!

Unfortunately, this year you also said good-bye to your Auntie Missa. We will continue to build your memories of her through pictures and stories. She will always be with us and I know that she is watching over us from up above.

You are, and always will be, our princess. You have such a unique and distinct personality. Your father and I are left to wonder sometimes..."Where did she learn that?" One of my favorite memories of this year is you singing the song Let Me Be Good To You from The Great Mouse Detective. You have no idea what the song is really about, but you have memorized most of the words and are singing your heart out. You are too cute for words at times.

(Insert video here...I can't get it to load, I'll try again later.)

You are an enchantress. You captivate those around you with your sweet words, kind heart and mothering ways. I look forward to being caught in your spell daily. My favorite memory from this year: Your sweet voice saying "Mommy! Mommy!" and when I look at you to see what you want, you declare "I LOVE YOU!" With a smile, I answer "I love you too, princess".

Forever and always...I love you too, princess.

Love,

Mommy