I could not be more impressed by you. Last weekend you turned 21 months old. 21 months. Where have all those months gone? I look back at pictures of you from months one, two, three and I can barely remember you from that time. That smushy little baby is gone and in her place is a walking, talking ball of fire and joy who runs through life with a smile on her face and a laugh on her lips. You are so...able now. You can walk, climb, run, jump..You are talking up a storm and not just individual words, but little sentences. You say "Mama, I go park" and "No, Mama. I no like it.". You tell me which books you want me to read to you at night. Your current favorites are "Puppy Dog" (Snuggle Puppy), "Apples" (Ten Apples Up On Top), and "Gumpy" (Mr. Gumpy's Outing). You're also reading to yourself now. You'll sit with one of your books and babble happily away, occasionally including a true word and always including comedic inflection. Comedic inflection...you insert that into everything you do. In fact, occasionally you include inflection and an eye roll when you are really trying to play up your new Big Girldom. It's hilarious, but makes Daddy and I a little nervous about who your teenage self might be.
With every day that you grow and change, I realize how much you make me want to grow and change. In my life, I have always wanted to be perfect. It is my best quality and my worst. It's what drives me, what makes me succeed...it's also what makes me prone to being overly stressed and prone to being dissatisfied. But in relation to you, it's what makes me truly want to be a better person. In relation to you, I want to be everything, all at once. I want to be the mommy who comforts you when you're sick. I want to be the mother who ensures that you eat right and get all the nutrients you need to grow up big and strong. I want to be the friend who you come to when you have questions about life and love. I want to be the woman you look up to for the way she manages to balance a career and home life. I want to be the hero you believe in and the human you love even though she's fallible. I love you more than you will ever understand or realize and it is a huge honor and a huge burden to feel as though everything I do is somehow impacting who you might become. You are my baby. You are my world. You are going to be amazing. How do I know? Because you already are.
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