Happy Fourth Birthday Lily Mae. Every parent repeats the cliche, only because it is so true...how quickly the time has flown by. Maybe it's all the sleep deprivation, or the twenty-four-seveness of the job, but somehow time speeds up when you become a parent.
And I still remember so much about the day you were born..
..At 7 am in the hospital room, after a night of laboring, I turned on the Today Show to distract me from the pain and the urge to push...the doctor was running late, so everyone wanted me to wait ...the fact that Katie Couric was giving the morning news makes me feel old.
...Everyone who came to visit, and the doctors who came to check up on you, commented on how alert you were. Eyes wide open, you didn't want to miss a single thing, so you stayed awake and cried the entire first night you were born.
To this day, four years later, you still cry when you have to go to bed. You've cried almost EVERY night since you were born...I think crying yourself to sleep is all you know how to do. When I asked you recently why you disobey, get out of bed, and fight going to sleep with all your might, you said quite matter-of-factly, "because I don't want to miss anything." Four years later you can verbalize the reality we knew about you from the day you were born.
You have a strong personality. Some would call it bossy. You are opinionated and strong willed. You are a girly, pink, princess girl, but your toughness and extremely competitive nature give me hope that sporting events are in your future. Some of my favorite conversations with you are when I come home from a five mile run and you tell me you ran one hundred miles earlier in the day. I love how you turn everything into a race and somehow you always win.
I love how good you are at playing by yourself. I love how you pretend to be a stressed out young mom with your two babies and a husband who goes far away with the Navy on "employments". Your imagination and your acting abilities are well beyond your four years.
I love how you've grown up always living near a beach. Some of my favorite pictures are of you and the sand and waves.
You make me so happy when you sing your heart out to your Bible Song CDs. It thrills me that you can tell me who Jesus is and why He is the most important thing in all of life. I love that you are so smart that you can memorize and recite perfectly verses from the Bible. And I am praying that someday you'll experience Him in a personal way--in a heart changing way.
What a challenge, privilege and humbling experience it is to be your Mom. I love you, little girl. You are my precious Lily Mae.
Three days old, just after your first bath
Seven months old, you would crawl right for the water
One and half years old, with your new puppy
Two years old, beach day in January
Three years old, fully understanding the concepts of presents
Three and half years old at the Pacific Ocean
Four years old, you look like such a big girl
Happy happy birthday Lily Mae! All of the Mitchells love you so much and wish we could sing to you in person. And one in particular thinks your the worlds best adoptive sister:). Love you so much!
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