Three perfect years

On the eve of my little girl's third birthday....I have this strong inclination to think back to my life on November 29th, 2oo5. Here is an excerpt from my pregnancy journal on this day....

I was just amazed when I saw your head come out first and then the rest of your body. [Yea, we had a ceiling with mirrors and I had to watch]... I was thinking to myself, where did she come from? You were so big it was incredible that you were inside me all this time. You were so perfect and all I could think about was how blessed I was to be your mom.

Your daddy was crying at the first second of seeing you and could not take his eyes off of you. He went over by you when they weighed you and cleaned you off. The nurses said, "She's got some meat on her bones." I couldn't believe it when they told me you weighed 8 lbs, 10 oz. I was so proud! I kept watching you as they cleaned you off with tears falling down my face. It was the best moment of my life- you are here- a healthy, beautiful little girl and you are mine! ____________________________________________________________________
Three Big Things I Learned from my Three-Year-Old

1. Real love-I am grateful for Avery for opening my eyes. The love I have for her is unselfish, sacrificing, unconditional, and fills my heart with joy. Love is also patient and forgiving. For instance, when a 2 yr old tells you, "Mommy, you're not my friend anymore," its o.k. Give her five minutes to get out her frustration with the world and she'll be coming to find you to deliver the sweetest hug before too long.

2. Faith- in two different powers. First, faith in yourself. Whenever you're not sure if you can do something- you gotta take a big breath, tell yourself you can do it, and then think about what you need to do. Example: You've climbed half-way up the tall caterpillar like the big kid did and now you're scared. You don't know if you should jump down, keep climbing, or cry for help. You can ask for help but don't ever think that you're not capable of doing what you really want to do.

Secondly, faith in Heavenly Father is a major coping skill that makes life so much easier. For instance, I knew a little girl that was having a hard time mastering the art of potty-training. She was doing o.k. at home but at school, there were multiple challenging obstacles that stood in her way. She started saying a prayer before her and her mom left for the day- that she would have a good, dry day.....and it worked-quickly. A perfect example of how our Heavenly Father is aware of our worries and desires- no matter how big or small.

3. Find time to be silly- EVERYDAY. Life is messy and life is hard. You gotta make time to laugh, dance, sing and to do things that make you happy...If you like to find cool sticks and leaves, make awesome art projects, dance in your ballerina costume, be a tickle monster, read the same story twenty times in a row- then by all means, do it! And never stop waking up laughing...(I am so happy you got this from your daddy).

I love you Avery! Thank you for three magical and inspiring years!

Mommy