On this day, three years ago, I was scared to death of something that barely weighed six pounds. But we had great moments together right from the start, including this one when she was less than a day old. It was 3:00 a.m. and she was just starring at me, sucking on her little fingers, with a look on her face that said “it’s going to fine, mommy.”

She didn’t like to sleep much in the beginning, but she sure was cute when she did.

She had a passport when she was five months old and her first stamp was from the Bahamas. She got sick almost as soon as we got there, but she loved the sand and the water, just like mommy and daddy.

Once she was crawling, it was always a challenge. She was into everything, including Winston’s butt hole (thus the boxer shorts).

But we always had a lot of fun, and being able to work from home was a blessing in more ways than I understood.

She slowly turned into a little person…with a head full of curly hair and a big smile.
And she made even the silly holidays fun and something to look forward to…

Not only did she turn us into a family, but she helped Dan and me find the joy in the small things in life.

And she impressed me with her ability to go from the only child to a loving and tender big sister (after six months of hell, of course!).

So happy birthday, my beautiful, sensitive, funny, energetic, opinionated, and big-hearted little girl. You have changed my life and filled my heart in ways I can not even describe. You are the most incredible gift I have ever received.