Four

It's beyond hard for me to believe that my firstborn baby girl is now FOUR!  I so clearly remember the exact moment I was told I was going to be a mother to a baby GIRL... I was so stunned that I actually grabbed the arm of the sonogram technician and asked her to be extra sure that it really was, in fact, a GIRL!  I left the sonogram and drove straight to a local baby boutique and bought 2 new pink outfits!  I could not contain my excitement.


I had always dreamed about having a daughter of my own.  I loved being a mother to a boy; but I still had dreams of sharing that special mother daughter bond too.  And Emily has fulfilled so many of those dreams in the four short years that she has blessed my life.


She and I seem to share many loves...


She loves to dress up in fancy clothes;
She loves to have painted nails;
She loves for me to fix her hair;
She asks me "which shoes should I wear" every time she gets dressed;
She loves to dance and wear tutu's;
She loves to help me clean;
And she loves sweets!


She can be so charming and absolutely delightful.  She can dance and sing around the house as though she is the happiest child in the world.  She plays make believe and reads to herself and colors me pictures and shares her toys lovingly with her little sister.  Her belly laugh and silly giggle can make me smile and laugh even when I am feeling down.  She has a sparkle in her eye and a sweet little grin that makes my own heart leap.

And she can also be downright horrible and frustrating beyond all measure.  In addition to inheriting her mama's love for all things girly, she has also inherited her mama's stubbornness and quick temper.  She can melt into a puddle of tears at the slightest bit of disappointment.  She can stomp and huff and puff and slam doors when she hears the word "no".  She can throw daggers with her words when she says things like "you a bad mommy and I not gonna talk to you ever again!"  

She is either adorable or horrible!  

And I love it... because it is her!

As up and down as her behavior can be, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that when we have the rare opportunity to spend time with her by herself, she will be absolutely delightful!  And rare though they are, I absolutely adore my one on one time with my eldest girl.  So on her birthday, a mere 2 days before Christmas, her Daddy and I took her out for a special day of lunch, shopping, and beautifying... just the three of us!  And it was blissful!

To end the special day, we had a family dinner followed by cupcakes!

I simply can't believe how quickly FOUR years has passed.  I sometimes see glimpses of her as a teenager... both the adorable, special times (shopping for prom dresses) and the horrible, frustrating times (back talking and eye rolling).  It makes me want to stop time and just cherish the stage of life she is in now.  Because even though she can sometimes be horrible, most of the time, she is downright adorable!   


And she is mine.  


And I am so grateful, so blessed, so happy to have her in my life.

I Love You...

my FOUR year old baby girl!