Dear Emilia Hope,
You are three! It’s amazing to me how fast the last year has gone by - and just how much you seem to have grown up in this time. You are full of stories, opinions, and a strong personality of your very own. And though I know you’ve grown so much, and I know we are just days away from you no longer being the baby of this family, I also know part of me will always see you as my baby. I will always be grateful for that sweet little bundle of hope and joy that snuggled up close when the world was at a distance.
This year we’ve found so many ways to enjoy the world again - with family and friends. You cheered on your sisters at tee ball last spring, and now you’re about to play on a team of your own. We enjoyed beach days and pool days through the summer - and many camping trips! You’d wake up on the morning of our trips saying, “I’m ready to go camping!” You loved your first trip to Story Land and swimming in the Saco. We had our last Skip’s for curly fries and eased into the fall by painting pumpkins and dressing you and your sisters up like the Sanderson sisters. We rounded out the fall with a scavenger hunt to let you know you’d be having not just one new sibling - but two! Winter included a trip to Santa’s Village and a hotel staycation where you loved swimming in the pool. You also started preschool and your own gymnastics class. As we return to spring and await the birth of your siblings, we are enjoying our last moments as a family of five.
There’s so much I’ve loved about watching you grow this year. I love how proud you are of your coloring skills and how much you’ve learned in your transition to pre-school. I love how you ask me “or what?” at the end of questions (“Are we going to school today or what?”) and how you ask me to sing “You are my sunshine” every night before bed. I love how you laugh so hard you snort sometimes and how you always want to wear everyone else’s shoes but your own. I love how independent you’re becoming - always wanting to do things by yourself. I love how you refer to Abby and Grace as “Sisters” and how you want to name the twins “Rock and Roll and Bruno.” I love how you sing “This Girl is on Fire” and how fast you like to cruise on your balance bike. You love yogurt smoothies, playing with your twin baby dolls, Peppa Pig, having your nails painted, watching baseball with Dada, and “nuggling” with mama.
If I could freeze these little moments, I would. But knowing I can’t, and knowing that I will love the next year just as much as I loved this last one, I will say this: On your third birthday, I am grateful for all of the joy you brought this family in the past year and all the joy I know is still to come. I am so excited to watch you become a big sister, but I will never forget the moments with you as the baby. When the world shut down, you came along and broke me open in ways I never could’ve expected - and for that, I will be forever blessed. Happy third birthday, Emilia Hope. You are and always will be my sunshine.
Love,
Mama
xxx