Nine years ago you were born. I was so nervous and so was dad. You were late, taking your time, so we went to the hospital and lied.
I promise the doctor told us to lie. Because you were almost two weeks late. We were going to lie so they would let me stay at the hospital. That way the doctor could come and start my labor. You don't want the details on that.
The trick was on us though, because I was in labor. Of course I was, you still are usually one step ahead of me.
For a first baby you came pretty quickly, you were born in less that 12 hours. And it was almost painless. Thank you very much for that.
But then the real work began, and I promise you kid, even on my worst days, I'm working as hard as I can for you.
Today is amazing because we are both nine! You are nine in human years and I'm nine in mommy years. You'll understand one day when you are a mom... Like 30 years from now, when you're married and ... more on that later.
Maybe you don't feel any different from being eight. Maybe you think nine is just the same. I'm here to tell you you're wrong! You have grown so much in the last year! There are so many things you should be proud of.
This year you became a reader. I know you really hate AR, but this year you figured out what kinds of books you like. You figured out what interested you so that you could read for fun. That's awesome, and very hard to figure out for some people.
This year you started combing your own hair. Which might not seem like a big deal but, for me this was a huge deal! Most mornings you did your own hair and it stopped us from fighting about hair!! Did you even notice that?? Very cool, am I right?
I love that you have found so much joy in dancing. You are an amazing tap dancer and I'm sure you are going to love pep as well. I love that you put a dance routine to any song you hear, even if it's just in our living room! Don't ever lose the love of dance, or the love of music! I hope they always bring you joy!
I love that we found our happy place around make up this year. Now you are a little too young to wear it to school, but it was super fun putting it on for dance competitions! And it was even more fun to shop for it at Sephora! Can you believe we figured out how to put on false eyelashes???
This year you have made a really great group of friends. I also noticed that you stuck up for some friend this year when they were bullied or pushed out of a group. I'm so proud of you for that! Keep doing that. Keep being kind and loving. Keep being a good friend. I promise it will pay off!
What a great year you had at Oraze! With an amazing teacher and some great classmates. You are so incredibly good at math! Don't lose that! I love that you love learning. I always did too. I can't wait to see what next year brings!
There are so many ways you have grown this year! Have you noticed? Did you see your fashion sense change a bit? Did you realize that you known how to use some apps on my phone better than me? Did you notice that you are finding your own way and following your own path? It's really exciting.
Happy birthday baby girl. I love you with all my heart and all my life. I'm so proud of the little lady you are becoming!
Enjoy today and enjoy every bit of this year! That's my wish for you!
