birthday girl

Dear Lulu,
Birthday "girl" is right.
You are now officially a little girl.
No more baby...sniff sniff...
Every time we talk about your upcoming birthday and I get that melancholy glazed look in my eyes, you keep reassuring me by saying "don't worry momma, I'll always be your baby."
You are one perceptive little person let me tell you.
You love to make me feel good and always seem to know the right thing to say.
It amazes me really.
So you are now four.
Four! how the heck did four years go by so quickly?
I know I seem to say this each year, by man do I wish I could freeze time.
Three- almost four has been the best so far.
You are independent enough that I can have some breathing space to do my own thing.
Yet you still need me and more importantly want both your daddy & I around.
You love hanging out with us all the time.
I really hope this is the way you will always feel- no matter what age you are.
As much as you love to socialize (and I might add that you have a pretty impressive little social circle filled with a really nice group of sweet kids) home is definitely your favorite place to be.
You love all your stuff especially all your markers and craft supplies.
You have created many a "master piece" from empty toilet paper rolls and empty shoe boxes (and there's plenty of those kicking around these days) momma likes her foot wear...
You are so creative yet so meticulous.
I love that about you.
You floor me with all the big words you effortlessly string together.
Words like appreciate, apparently, similar and even cantankerous- yes cantankerous!
You even used it in the right context!
And you're absolutely right- daddy can be cantankerous sometimes...but we love him despite that don't we?
But you still refer to mandarin oranges in a fruit cup as "man in the oranges" which I totally love.
Your voice still has that sweet little girl ring to it- which, well if I'm being totally honest works overtime some days.
You really like to chat. and chat. and chat. and chat. and chat. and chat......I guess you just have lots to say...sigh..
I wonder where you get that from? wink wink nudge nudge.
I do love it though.
Being able to have all these conversations with you and trying to the best of my ability to answer your endless questions about the world around you.
I only wish I had an answer for everything you asked me.
When I don't, I look it up (who ever invented Wikipedia is a genius!)
And without knowing it, you teach me something new each day as well.
You are a complete animal and nature lover.
Especially dogs, birds and flowers.
You seem to know the names of more birds and foliage than I do.
Your first word was "birdy" after-all.
I love that you told daddy the other day that the yellow blooms on a shrub on the corner was a forsythia.
Boy was he impressed.
But currently you are dog obsessed.
Thus the theme of your birthday party tomorrow.
You ask us everyday for a real dog- and eventually when the timing is right, we will grant your wish.
But for now the stuffed Gund variety will have to suffice.
You have blossomed into this sweet, gentle, funny and lovable little girl that we couldn't be more proud of.
You are the light in our lives and each day seems to get better than the one before.
So Happy Fourth Birthday my sweet Lulu- I love you more that you could possibly ever imagine.

Love mom xoxo

oh and p.s. if anyone knows where I can get a time freezing machine- please let me know.

listening to...Frances England-Family Tree-You & Me at the moment
which is even making me even more sentimental.
sniff sniff....