Happy Birthday!

Happy third birthday to the J-Bird!

My girly-girl, my snuggle bear, my sometimes owly little one.

I can’t believe you’re three.

Do you know what you did today to make my heart melt? As I picked you up out of your high chair after lunch, you said, “You know what I need from my mudder? A kiss! Here you go! --mwah!--”

You’re always saying things that are so deliciously cute. I love the way you still reach for our “megawk” when you cross the street. I love that baby word that has made its way into your “big girl” vocabulary, carried over from the days when you insisted on “me walk” all the time even though you required assistance in the form of a grown-up finger to hold on to. I think forever I will be calling pointer fingers ”megawks.”

My current favorite in your playlist of adorable sayings is “uh-po-pa-be.” You are more than willing at all times to let everyone know what they’re “uh-po-pa-be” doing.

Three has always seemed to bring the end of toddlerhood. You seem to be full-on little girl now. I remember when you were born that I wished I could look ahead to your third birthday and see what you would look like, how you developed, and what kind of little person you would become. At the time of your birth, when we were facing a terrifying unknown that never came to be, I never could have dreamed up the wonderful little girl you are now. You are a blessing.

Thank you for providing the lion’s share of the laughter in our house. Please keep your spark, your fire, your...you-ness as you grow. Your daddy and I love you very much.