Four.

Tonight at 11:03pm my first born child officially turns four.  It hardly seems possible. When I was pregnant and thinking about what being a mother to a little girl would be like, I could have never dreamed what it would be like to be Collette's mother. She is such unique combination of characteristics.

December

She is Gregarious. With a capital G. She has never, and probably will never, meet a stranger.  She loves meeting new people, no matter what their age, and will talk to them about anything. She cries every.single.time we leave some one's house or some leaves our house; she is so genuinely disappointed to see them go.  Even if they live next door.  Even if she sees them nearly every day. Even if she barely knows them.

January

She is so sweet.  She is genuinely so upset when she hurts some one's feelings or makes them mad, and will say for days afterword, "I'm so sorry I did _____. I didn't mean it."

 

February

She is tough. She plays hard, takes falls, and usually gets right up and keeps on going.

 

March

She is so inquisitive.  She asks hundreds of questions a day, and wants to know about everything.  How things work, how things are made, etc. She has lately been on an anatomy kick.  She wants to know all about bones.  Animal bones, people bones, etc.

April

She is adventurous.  She is always willing to try something new, and is never one to hang back on the sidelines.  "Shy" and "self-conscious" are not in her vocabulary.

May

She is a girly-girl.  She loves all things pink, purple, and sparkly.  She lives in tutus and skirts and refused to wear anything else for months straight.

June

She is a tom-boy.  She will throw rocks, make pretend guns, and play tractors with her brother or cousins as easily as she colors a picture or plays with a baby doll.

July

She is very happy and usually not moody.  She wakes up early and is going from the second her feet hit the floor.  Talking a blue streak, trying on outfits, playing with her toys, asking what we are going to do that day.  She laughs exuberantly and often.  It is easily one of my favorite sounds.

August

She has a flair for the dramatic that needs to be reigned in from time to time.  She will say things like, "Oh! This is a catastrophe!" or "I will never get to do _______ again!"

September

She is affectionate.  She gives hugs and kisses liberally, and still doesn't understand why everyone isn't as excited to receive her shows of affection as she is to give them.

October

She is "busy." She is always on the go, getting into something, doing something.

November

She is a joy.  A delight.  A challenge. An indescribable gift.

 

I can barely remember my daily life without her in it.

Happy, happy fourth birthday, Collette.

We love you more than words can say.