Happy Birthday S!

Miss S. turned 4 on Monday, April 17 (even though the SSA and the state of Texas think her birthday is the 16th, but that's a whole nother post highlighting my laziness and our hospital's poor record-keeping). I can hardly believe 4 years has passed since I became a mother. When Mr. W. and I started this project, I thought I had a pretty good handle on the whole parenting thing, and then S. was born.

Upon her birth, I transformed from being a confident, self-reliant professional woman into a blathering mess of hormones. I cried at the thought of leaving her at daycare. I cried at the thought of NOT leaving her at daycare. I wailed through her entire first bath, which, incidentally, is a big part of the reason Mr. W. does 99% of the girls' baths. I finally programmed my mother's phone number into speed dial. I began comparing all babies to mine frantically hoping that this little bundle of joy was normal. When she was slow to meet a milestone, I worried. When she was quick to meet a mileston, I worried. It was an amazing trial by fire, and I wouldn't trade it for the world.

S. is a fabulous kid. She is showing signs of maturity and compassion that I thought may never materialize as we waded through the terrible twos only to be greeted with the even worse threes. Her imagination blows me away. She is in a constant state of playing pretend. Her latest story is that she is a hamster mommy and has a hamster baby in her tummy. Just yesterday, she announced she was a friendly alligator . Her sense of curiosity is dizzying. Even though her 'Why' questions sometimes drive me nutty, I just love that she is exploring her world.

I love you S., and I pray that you continue to grow in mind, body and spirit!

M.W.