Happy Mother's Day!

Every morning I wake you and wonder why life is so rough. Why do I have to wake you from your sweet baby slumber and force you to take on yet another day, grow another day older, let time whisk you away from my grasp. Each day I leave for work and wonder if it’s really worth it, this time away from you, and risk being late just to run back to steal five more kisses of your soft chubby cheek, hoping they  will keep me from missing you throughout the day. When you were born, I went to work each day recounting the new developments of the night before, as if you were the only baby to ever have ever been a baby ...And as I dreamed out loud of a day when you would be able to this and that, my very wise friend and mother of three warned me, “Don’t wish the time away!”

Oh but I did, I couldn’t help it! As most mothers do, I imagine, I let myself get carried away and dream of the days when you would be able to hug me back, give me kisses, call me Mommy, tell me your preferences…and one by one they came too quickly, these wishes of mine. And before I knew it, there you were, this little miniature person that resembled me in too many ways! And now here I am, wishing you were still my cuddly little squealy chubby baby that could do none of those things. As you have grown we have not been as diligent at taking pictures, recording the memories, realizing the moments as they are passing us by. You are so full of life and there is no picture that could measure your energy and capture the joy you bring to our lives. But I realize the importance of this record. As I look back on the past two years, I realize how much I have forgotten even despite this!

In three days you will be 22 months old. At not quite two, dear girl, you are the queen of all things predictable. You like everything to be in order, in a certain order, and on time. Before we leave the house you remind me to take my keys, my purse, my phone. You will never lose a sock or a shoe because if the strap comes loose you will say “uh-oh shoe” repeatedly with furrowed brow until it is corrected. After I change your diaper each morning you point to your chest and legs remind me that you still need a shirt shirt shirt…and a pant pant pant pant pant until they are securely on you. And then a pin pin pin pin pin for your hair. You are oblivious about nothing. You perform each task with care. If I give you a box of crayons and blank paper, and show you how to color, you prefer to take the crayons out of the box, put them back in, and repeat until the fun is done. You love books and love to be read to. You are already memorizing the words. You sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and your ABCs, and we are still working on improving both. You have realized they are both the same tune and sometimes interject one into the other. You love to do wood puzzles. You have 4 or 5 and after you mastered and became bored with the animal, number, and shape puzzles, we bought you an alphabet puzzle. Thinking with 26 pieces it would take you 3 or 4 weeks to get used to it, but you mastered it after 3 attempts and that took 2 days. You still love it and ask for it first when you get home each day. But now, to make things more fun, you put the pieces in the wrong places on purpose just so you can look at me and yell “NOOOoooooo”  and then laugh and put them in the right place.

You LOVE going outside, being outside, and if we would let you, you would live outside. Each day you ask me, “Mommy? Chewie outside?” and if I say “No Sailee it’s not time for Chewie to go outside…” you try again with “Mommy? Sailee outside?” with raised and hopeful eyebrows. And there’s nothing out there. No playset or gym or anything of the sort yet. I fear if I buy one, you may never come back in! You are obsessed with shoes, the putting on of shoes, the taking off of shoes, and the putting away of shoes, the whole process. You can be trusted to put your shoes away neatly in the closet and close the door, every time, without fail. You take much pride in this task. In the past 3 months, you have just developed this little persona that is so distinct, we are amazed at your growth. In just a couple of months, you are going to turn two like it’s nothing, like you’ve been doing two all along. You already have the Happy Birthday song down and are ready to belt it out.

Happy Mother’s Day to me.  I am so privileged to be your Mommy. I did wish the time away but I have to say, I feel like dancing every time I hear you call my name, every time you run in to my arms for a huggie, every evening you grin at me your cheeky soapy grin at bath time and cuddle in my arms at night. There is nothing better than this feeling and no love greater than this.  There is no one in the world I would rather be than your Mommy, and having this honorable title means knowing that everything in my life up to this point prepared me for this and everything I do from now on is with you in mind. I love you immensely my sweet baby girl and know that for every Mother’s Day going forward, I don’t need a gift. You are my gift and I just need time with you by my side, your love, and sweet smile. Happy Mother’s Day to me.