she's three

I honestly never thought I would have a daughter. But here she is. And wow, she really does delight me every single day.

Toots, Rock Star

I can't imagine life without her.  Was there a time before this magical little happy being?  Of course there was, actually quite a lot of it. I was 42 when I had her. But to consider I thought she would never be here is mindboggling. Obviously, I know nothing.

I'm certain I could go on weepily and take you down with me, but I will spare you and the tissues.

Three things about Toots as she turns three years old:

1. She has Killer Curls. The big waterfall of curls on her tiny, tiny little frame, seriously, she only weighs 25 pounds, and she is healthy, just squeezably tiny and wiggly and dancey and bright eyed and pouty lipped with those two fingers still stuck between them. She's to die for.  Everyone says so. Everyone also feels the need to stop us where ever we are to tell us how flippingly friggin' cute she is. Yes, I am aware of my motherly bias, but I'm telling you the whole world agrees with me! Her curiosity and singing personality give her physical cutes a serious boost, too. And her little helium voice.

Those curls! She's too fast for me.

Those lips!

2. She's smart. I mean all my kids are smart, but sometimes she comes out with stuff that completely takes me by surprise in her understanding and observation of things. I need to think of an example, which is hard because it is constant. Her language skills are off the charts for her age, too. Again, she's not alone amid my kids in that. In each's own way, they were very linguistically precocious. Of course, Captain Comic was speaking what I believe to have been Japanese due to his excessive watching of subtitled Godzilla movies. Toots also really enjoys figuring out how things work, doing it herself. She is incredibly engaged with the world and people around her.  Oh, here's a small example of her smarts: when she sees the word STOP, anywhere, she says, "Dat says Stop! Dat bewongs on a wed Stop sign!" Hello, people, she's reading and starting to write, and she's just turning three today!  She can write her name all by herself and it's not an easy one.

3. She sings. A lot. She makes up songs about what's happening right now. When Honey is making her lunch for preschool while she eats her breakfast, she sings a 'Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich' song.  Or a 'I'm having a Cheese sandwich for lunch and my Daddy  loves me because he's making it for me song'. She sings an 'I love my dwayons' song when she is dwawing and coworing. She makes up a lot of I love Mommy, I love Daddy, I love Gramma, I love my buvers, I love my Yucy dog, I love my Babette kitty songs. Sometimes she makes up 'I waukin awound da house cause I haf nofing to do' songs.

I loved my boys when they were little, I still do, even now they are so big. But I can not tell you how much the word Delight fits my mothering this girl.  She is a constant surprise and smile and giggle and guffaw and hug and squeeze and I yuv youuuuu.

And before I get too teary and maudlin, I am signing out.  Happy birthday, my big girl!