Falling in Love and Turning 5: Happy Birthday, Sweet Lyla!

Dear Lyla, 

On the day you were born, I was excited and terrified all the same time when they wheeled me back to surgery. As I was on my way to experience the most amazing moment of my life, Mimi looked at me with wide, knowing eyes and said, “You’re about to find out what real love is all about."

I didn’t understand then, and I really didn’t understand until much later the gravity of these words. You were my baby, so of course, I loved you instantly.

I fell in love with you much, much later, as I really started to understand who you are.

And, now you are turning 5. This seems like such a big number to me, and it really is. It means seeing you in such grown-up, amazing ways:

-Hearing you tell Cade this morning: “I’m your big sister Cade, and no matter how big we get, you’ll always be my little brother."

-Watching your little brain become so big…recognizing words, real words as you start reading to me instead of the other way around.

-You choosing your own clothes and completely dressing yourself in whatever you fancy for the day.

-Seeing you develop and maintain real relationships outside our family…real friends of your own with your own little jokes and communications, your very own dynamics.

-Rejoicing a little in a tear I saw in your eye this morning when you told me that you don’t want to think about ever moving away from Mommy & Daddy, not even 20 years from now: “I don’t want to think about that, Mommy, it makes me want to cry."

I love every moment of watching you grow, even the difficult ones. I am working to appreciate it all..so, instead of feeling sad at the baby days behind us, I am focusing on the joys ahead of us. The sheer joy of falling in love with you more and more each day. 

Thank you, my sweet Thanksgiving Baby, for making me a mommy. You were worth every single moment of the wait. Actually, you make the wait seem like it was a small investment for such a monumental reward and, well, love…just like Mimi said it would be. 

Happy 5th, my Sweet Girl. You really do make the world a more joyous place.