My dear Gracie,
Yesterday, your Auntie Tara came over to watch you, so I could make a trip out to Walmart to birthday shop (talk about last minute) and buy party supplies. When I came home, I showed you the cupcakes I had bought for you to take to daycare - you were so excited and kept on asking, "Is it my birthday now?" "Can I have one now?" You wouldn't stop - see personality #2 described below! Finally I told you that it'd be your birthday when you woke up in the morning. A few minutes later, you announced that you were tired and were going to bed...you even went upstairs - it was about 6:00, by the way. We just let you go knowing you'd be back, and we were right! You lasted for a couple of minutes before you came back down, asking, "Is it morning yet?" "Is it my birthday NOW?" Pretty cute - especially if I could mimic your sweet, little voice. We gave in and let you and Liv share a cupcake. :)
I don't think I've ever seen a little girl more excited for her birthday - I even had to hide your presents! Good thing I did too because we were already opening gifts about 5 minutes after our friends and Grandma had arrived (Grandpa didn't even get to watch!). You were very excited about everything, and I was happy that you remembered to say thank you.
Oh, where, oh, where, do I begin....Gracie, simply put, you have, well, let's call it a very well-rounded personality! Let's explore...
1) The shy Grace: This side of you doesn't appear all that often, but when you get into new situations or meet new people, you often want to be held, hold onto my leg, and/or bury your face in my neck. However, while you're doing this, a little conspiratorial smile can often be found on your face as if you think it's funny to pretend to be more shy than you actually are. Regardless, whatever shyness does exist, it usually doesn't last long before you're showing off, playing, and chatting away like usual. I have no doubts about you starting pre-school next year - you're going to love it, especially because your best buddy Maggie will be in school with you! You might be shy for a day or two, but it won't take long before you're as obsessed with Mrs. Kane and Mrs. Bohr as Olivia is!
2) The stubborn Grace: Just last night I told Grandma Linda, "She just won't stop talking!" And when I said this, what I meant was, when you want something, you continuously ask for it even when the answer is "no" or whatever you want is just not possible. If you want a toy - you want it now; if you want some milk - it better be in the next minute; and, if you don't get to watch a show when you want to - I'd better watch out! Sigh. While this stubbornness and the whininess is something I often could do without and has been the cause of more than one timeout both at home and at daycare, I can see this trait taking you far in life; you'll be focused on doing what you have to in order to get what you want! However, if you could just try not to test your mommy's and daddy's patience quite so much, that would be much appreciated.
3) The wild, silly, and sassy Grace: Who hasn't seen this side of Grace? You are such a silly goose - even Olivia calls you this. You have an incredibly expressive face, and not a day goes by that we don't see you doing something that makes us laugh. You love playing "wrestle" with your daddy and ask for this or "roar" almost every night after dinner. You think playing hide and seek is awesome and still think you're hiding if you sit where we can see you but cover your face. You ask us to "scare" you for fun, but when playing somehow actually get scared even when you know it's coming - I only wish I could describe the look of panic that crosses your face. Sadly, you don't hesitate to hit - real or fake depends on the day - if something doesn't go your way, but happily, you recover from whatever it is that made you mad quickly and are are distracted easily. One of my least favorite things you say is "No my isn't" when you and Liv have a scuffle about something, but, hey, at least you stand up for yourself! You laugh about how big your tummy is, sticking it out even further in the process, and - I'm not sure how I feel about this - toot all.the.time! You jump on your trampoline begging us to watch you constantly, lie down on the floor asking to be tickled, wear dress up clothes constantly, and kick a ball like these things are going out of style. Your wispy, flying hair suits this part of your personality as does your teasing personality and huge smile (seriously, I don't know anyone else who smiles as big as you - adult or kid)!
4) The independent Grace: I love how much you can do for yourself, but I also know you like pretending that you don't know how to do as much as you can. For instance, four months ago you could put on your own socks and shoes; then, you apparently "forgot" how to do both, and now, you've remembered about your shoes but not your socks. You like to "be furst" at getting dressed, and nothing gets you motivated like a good race...up the stairs, into the tub, into clothes, etc. (Maybe this fact should go with personality #3 though.) You'll watch a show or play the ipad by yourself without needing anything and same goes with eating breakfast alone in the morning. You still like to sleep with your sissy, but don't mind sleeping alone as much as she does - she cries when you leave to go to your room, but you don't. :) I can see you itching to become more independent; at the tail end of fall when we had a couple of nice days, we got you on Liv's bike - you went two times around the block without complaining of being tired - a feat she's yet to have accomplished. Undoubtedly this next summer will see you biking, pumping on the swings, and doing countless other big-girl activities. Right now though, you're working hard at zipping your coat.
5) The sweet Grace: This is my most favorite Grace...well, I can't actually say that, but it's right up there! I love that you're a little more of a cuddler now than you used to be; you squeeze so tight when you're needing some love, and I don't mind that one bit! You care about other people's feelings and are kind to your friends. You love your sis so much (although she doesn't love that you've decided to call her Liver as a nickname - and neither do I), and she loves you in return. You two cuddle on the couch, sleep squished together, defend each other, play almost oddly well together, and even rub each other's backs. It's so darn cute.
Could I go on...probably. There is no doubt in my mind, Miss Grace, that you are a very special little girl who will continue to bring much happiness (and maybe a few other emotions) into our lives. I love you, sweetie, and can't even remember what our life was like before you joined it. How fast these last three years have gone - I'm thankful for all the memories we have and look forward to making so many more.
Love you,
Mommy
