After we celebrated her special day together as a family we had a chance to head home to Illinois and Missouri to celebrate with friends and family there. It was a short trip, but it was good for Addie, as she has missed her friends since we moved to Kansas.
I am challenged every day by this little girl. Challenged on what I am doing wrong as a mother, challenged to do better, challenged to remember that the days we have are the days she will remember when she looks back at her childhood.
She loves to have fun. She can be very social, but also needs time to herself to play and dream up scenarios for her Barbies and ponies and dolls. I love to over hear her playing and imagining - she does a great job at playing independently. Currently, she loves playing with smaller dolls and animals, figures she can set up and create little worlds in which they can play.
She still hangs back a little when it comes to new situations. She wants to check things out, watch other people, before she dives in herself. But, when she does jump in, she jumps all the way.
She's a bargainer, and will let us know how she wants to do things, even when she's supposed to simply obey us. She wants to be heard. Sometimes what she says is valid - sometimes it's just an attempt to stall and to do things her own way. Sometimes she is completely compliant, polite and ready to do the right thing.
She's a sweet big sister. She will speak for Olive, who is just learning to speak. At times she wants to be left alone, and other times she is Olive's caretaker, her protector. She is learning to share her space.
She's still not fond of goodbyes, although she is getting better. She has a memory like none I've ever seen. She likes to be silly. She likes to tease. She can be very sweet, loving, and thoughtful.
She is growing up. I see it every day in the way she handles herself. She makes me proud, she reminds me of me in good and not so good ways, she makes me laugh, she makes me thankful.
So many times I fail and so many times I wish I could rewind and redo. But each time she forgives me and we start over.
I am so thankful to be her mommy.
Happy Birthday, Adelaide. I sure do love you.
