Happy Birthday Sophie!

Happy Birthday to my beautiful girl!

I cannot believe that Sophie is FOUR years old today! Where did the time go?

It's amazing to look back on the photos and see how much she changed from year to year.

On the day that she was born:

One year old:

Two years old:

Three years old:

This past weekend:

She is the most beautiful, amazing, creative, loving, snuggly, funny, opinionated girl I've ever met. She's loving preschool and her teachers and new friends. She's thriving in an environment where she's challenged to think and learn on a daily basis. It's fun to visit the classroom and see her drawings in comparison to some of the other kids (yes, I know I shouldn't compare). BUT, hers are so advanced! ;) She draws people with bodies and fingers and toes! And she writes her name on everything! I also get a big thrill when her teacher pulls us aside to marvel at her vocabulary.

We have our struggles, but I remind myself to step back and admire her self-confidence and opinions. How did we create such an individual tour-de-force? She arrived full of herself, confident even then, it seemed, of her place in the world. She constantly amazes us with her insight and learning ability. For instance, I say I'm going to give her a plethora of kisses and she instantly gets it and uses "plethora" in the right context the next day. Mind boggling. She sings songs and we read her books and she has them almost instantly memorized. She absorbs books which thrills me to no end.

She is also very funny. Making jokes, getting jokes, laughing at herself and us and finding so many things funny. I love that our house is filled with books and laughter and singing and silliness. That is home to me.

She is more than I could have imagined when, more than 4 years ago, the technician said: "it's a girl!" I was hoping for a healthy baby and we got someone so fantastic and so perfect for us that it still astounds me.

Happy Birthday, my beautiful girl.