Elaina Turns 3- (really)

Dear Elaina-

Happy 3rd Birthday my sweetest Angel!

Elaina, you are all of my joy and all my heart wrapped up into your sweet little self. Three years already. Amazing. With yet another year passing, I can say that my record of not taking a single day with you for granted is still going strong. Every time I look at you, hold you and even just thinking of you, I thank God that He made you OUR daughter. And as much as your Dad and I both love you, I can't even see for a second that you could belong to anyone else but us. You are our custom made miracle and I love you more than you will ever know.

I can't even begin to tell you how much I enjoyed your former 2 year old self. I've heard of the "terrible two's" but with you, you were nothing but terrific at two. Upon your last birthday, I was so much looking forward to all that the roller coaster ride of a two year old toddler had in store for us. What we experienced was a sweet, little girl who within her second year grew out of her stumbling, learning and exploring phase of a one year old into a well spoken, polite, young lady who knows what she wants and has a sense of humor about everything. Even at two years old, you have a gift of being able to recall specific events and details about the most random things. Not only is your memory sharp, but your verbal skills hit the roof in the past year and your imagination leaves me in awe.

Although we've all had a rough time as of late with you being somewhat particular *ahem* about eating, I totally get you. You're a little bit stubborn; you have blueprints in your little head of how you want things, the order in which you want things and how things should work. I get that. How did I not birth you , Child? You are so me. Amazingly, I feel that I have more than a special connection with you. I feel that I have a way of listening to you and being able to know what you're really saying and feeling. I don't know if every natural mother has this with their biological children but you and I are together. There are plenty of times that I just want to hold onto you and press my heart and my love into you and never let you go. For this we have a game where we pretend that we're glued to each other and act like we can't come undone. I know that my love for you will never come undone.

Elaina, you amaze me. You truly leave me in awe of what a 2 year old is capable of. You don't even know how much I am looking forward to for your 3rd year. We've just started to experience some mother-daughter moments that I've waited my whole life to share. You are my little, best friend. I will never know how God stopped the universe long enough to make us such a special match, but I'm pretty sure that He knows what an incredible job He did. Every day, I believe that I am the luckiest Mom in the entire world and Baby, there's no one who could have ever loved you more.

My sweet Love, I am excited to see what you have in store for us this year. Most days, I feel like you can't get any better than you already are and then the next day comes along and I feel that way all over again. You excite me, you inspire me and you've given me happiness like I've never known. Thank you for the greatest 3 year ride of my life, my sweet daughter. I can't wait to begin the journey of the next year with you.

All of my love, my sweet Angel,
Love, Momma