I Love You, Sasha

Sasha, my baby girl, you are THREE!  Three years of a lot of changes and growing up for you, and for all of us.  You have transformed our family in so many ways, and I can't imagine our lives without you.  And even though you are turning my least favorite of ages (three is a doozy), I know this year will be full of surprises for all of us.  You will test my patience in ways I could never fathom, and you will make my heart grow to sizes I didn't know it could reach.  There are so many reasons I love you, but here are some of the big ones.

I love you for your fierce determination, even when you end up wearing the particular diaper, nightgown, unwashed pants, or no socks that drive me crazy.  Just when I think I can hold out longer than you, you let me know that you will not give in and instead, answer me logically with, "I think I will wear underwear when I am older."

I love you for your delicious giggle that erupts from your mouth full of teeth whenever I tickle you.  And you love to be tickled.  And I love to hear that giggle.

I love you for the way you dance through life, describing in detail your ballet class, the teacher, and students, despite never having taken a ballet class in your life.  (But I hope the one you start taking in January lives up to your dreams.)

I love how you squeeze Morgan so tight before going to bed, even though she usually doesn't want hugs.

I love your kisses.  The silly raspberry kisses you do to my cheek everyday.  The delicate ones you give to each of your baby dolls.  And the big, wet smooches that make me feel so loved.

I love your speed and agility.  The fact you can sprint down the uneven sidewalk in sparkly dress shoes  (or a snow storm) without falling or missing a beat amazes me.

I love your focus.  You try so hard to keep up with Morgan's many talents, like insisting on doing 'homework' just like her.  Your detailed coloring and long attention span impress me to no end.

I love your passion for mermaids.  From Disneyland to your Ariel Kitty build-a-bear to your halloween costume, you adore that little mermaid.  I hope you keep on swimming.

I love your silly faces and sense of humor.  You love to make goofy faces as well as work the word 'underwear' into as many sentences as possible.  You still have that adorable dimple on you right cheek, and the jokes you crack always make me laugh.

I love hearing the hilarious things you say.  Like how, lately,  you always ask 'Is that Santa singing?' whenever you hear a Bing Crosby song.  Or how you think the 'three nice men' were part of the nativity, as well as Baby Jesus, whom you insist is a girl.  When it snowed last week, you said "It must be Christmas!"  But when you discovered it had melted later in the day, you exclaimed, "Oh no!  Christmas is over!"  And of course you are really fond of saying, "Merry Christmas, Underpants!"

I love how you love babies.  This has always been something that was part of you, and now you are an excellent mommy to the two baby dolls you inherited from Morgan.  (One of which I am often delegated to care for too!)  While at times your passion for babies can be tough for me to cope with, I love seeing how caring you are or how you suck in your breath at the pure cuteness that you see in babies.

I love how much you love V8.  I have no idea where you get this appetite for tomato juice (and soup too), but I think it's pretty awesome.

I love your snuggles.  For the past year or so, I have let you come into bed with us some (ok, many) mornings when you wake up to snuggle and sleep a bit longer with us.  Hearing you say, 'I want to snuggle in your bed' has a great power over me.  You used to sleep on my chest but now you snuggle in close to me and usually go right to sleep.  I knew long ago this was a bad but incredibly wonderful habit that definitely won't last forever.

I even love you when you stall like no child has stalled before bedtime.  The drinks of water, the sudden willingness to use the potty (with logic thrown right back in my face: "It's good to use the potty before bed, right Mommy?"), the SNAAAAAACK that you are dying to have, the babies in their correct beds with blankets on, the particular stuffed animal that was left in the basement that you suddenly need, the light dimmed just right, etc., etc., etc.   You exhaust us but delight us too.

Thank you for this beautiful year of memories, cuddles, laughs, and for being the one and only YOU!  I will do my best to maintain my composure and keep my ego in check this year, while your ego and composure get lots of practice doing what three year olds do best:  become your very own little person. It's going to be a wild year, but I am so very glad that I get to be part of it.  I love you, Sash.  

Love always, 

Mommy