To my little one on her 2nd birthday,
Ah my sweet Corabelle, do you know how much I love you? Do you know how often I think about you during the day, or lay awake at night wondering if I’m doing it all right? Can you grasp how many times you’ve given me a hug, or a kiss, and my entire day is made? You’re so big now, and you have so many things to do and explore each and every hour, I know I’m not the center of your world anymore. But you’re still the center of mine.
I can’t help but tear up when I think about how fast these two years have gone. You’ve gone from this tiny little package that needed no more than love, food, and sleep, to a real human being who needs all of that plus the opportunities to learn, explore, push boundaries, find your limits, break them, and find them all over again. You are such a little diva, your personality is stronger than most teenagers. I love that you are already showing signs of your Daddy (loving to sleep in) and me (loving to organize, keep things just the way you like them). I love that you care so much about your babies, and any baby for that matter. Please hold on to that love until you have a baby sibling some day. 🙂 I love that you can be wild and free one moment, then sweet and cuddly the next. I love that you are slightly hesitant to play with other kids, but then when you finally jump in you run the show. I love that you repeat the same word over and over and over again until I respond to you, especially when you see something in the car that you NEED to tell me about. I love that when I trip over something and yell, “OUCH!”, you ask me if I’m “OK” and give me a little kiss where it hurts. I love that when your Daddy is gone on a road trip you ask where he is and then say, “Ball?” because you know he’s away playing basketball. And don’t tell your Daddy, but I love that I’m still your favorite.
But perhaps my most treasured part about the age you are now is your innocence. You are still young enough that you show no hint of embarrassment dancing in the middle of the mall when you pass a store with a good song on. You will still let me squeeze you and kiss you without a groan of, “Moooooooommmm!” You aren’t old enough yet to be too cool for us, and I’m just soaking up every minute. Even better, you are still innocent enough that you let your emotions flow without holding anything back. If you’re happy, you show it. If you want to be loving, you just do it, there’s no voice in the back of your head telling you otherwise yet. You also show angry and sad pretty easily, but we won’t talk about that today. 🙂 The point is, I hope you hold onto your innocence as long as possible.
I can’t possibly know what this next year will bring. But I know that even when this motherhood thing is pushing me to my limits, you make each day brighter, each moment more special. I know that whatever may come in the next 365 days, it will be beautiful because you’re a part of it. I will look back on these years with only joy because you brought that into our lives. I will never remember the sleepless nights or the time you dropped my phone in the toilet. Well, now I probably will since I wrote it down. But it’s ok, I forgive you. I will always forgive you. There is nothing you could ever do or say that would make me love you less. Happy 2nd birthday, mi vida.
XO,
Mama
