Three Years Old!

Dear Emily,

Today we celebrated your third birthday, and I am so proud of the big girl that you are becoming. You have really blossomed in the last couple of months, and while I was afraid of the changes that you would go through with the move to Pittsburgh and adjusting to being a big sister, you have taken it all in stride.

You are a tremendous big sister, always eager to help with your baby sister by fetching me a diaper, alerting us when she's unhappy, or even trying to calm her down yourself. I hope to always remember the way that you try to soothe Sophie by reciting, "it's okay, momma's gotcha". You talk constantly these days, and are starting to understand such complex things. You have complete conversations with people, and will say things like "when I was a baby, I used to play with these toys". You say very few words incorrectly, and the few that you do say wrong (eatmeal for oatmeal, and musigic for music), I can't quite bring myself to correct, for fear I'll completely lose the baby that you once were.

You can identify most, if not all, letters of the alphabet, and you can even tell me the sounds that many of them make. You enjoy puzzles, music, playing with your dollhouse, duplos, and trains. You can play pretend with the best of them, inventing all sorts of different scenarios to act out. And you have become amazingly good at entertaining yourself, which has been a huge blessing in this time of great transition.

You love life, Emily. You have an amazing amount of energy, and your eyes sparkle when you get excited. You are cautious, but quick to get involved once you feel safe. You show an amazing amount of kindness and empathy towards other people, and can very quickly pick up on how others are feeling. You are quick to give hugs and kisses, and to share with others. You are getting to be a much better listener, though you test your boundaries pretty regularly. In short, I could not have asked for a more perfect, more beautiful daughter. I can't wait to see what this next year brings! I love you!

Love,

Mommy