Dear S,
I was so proud of you yesterday. We celebrated your 10th birthday and I was taken back in time to when I first held you in my arms. Your dad and I were both 21 years old (younger than we'd imagined we would be starting our family), scared that we weren't up to the challenge, amazed that you were ours, astounded at the miracle of you: this very real and complete person in the tiniest little package we had ever seen. We became parents sooner than we'd planned, but you came at just the right time! We were so happy and excited to be parents and felt so incredibly blessed!
You taught us a lot about patience and selflessness. Especially in those first few months when you cooed and smiled and slept all day and screamed and cried (almost) all night long.
I remember getting home from the hospital and just gazing at you as you slept in your bassinet my heart full of love. I knew looking at you then that you would grow and I would discover who you were: your talents, your interests, your personality. That all of those things were in you already and that your dad and I had the privilege of getting to know who that was. We could hardly wait. And the last 10 years have not let us down.
You are responsible and independent. You are kind and nurturing. You are deliberate and thoughtful. You are smart and athletic. You are musical and creative. You are brave and are not afraid to try new things. You have a strong determination that sometimes can escalate to stubborn. (Which I say comes from your dad. Haha!) You make mistakes and learn from them. You get frustrated sometimes (which I believe shows your independence) and you have taken great strides in learning how to express your frustrations in a healthy and productive way. You always think for yourself (a quality I love and want to encourage). You are wonderful and I love the person you are!
I was so proud of you yesterday. You opened the presents from your brother, your sister and your dad and I and you were so gracious. It especially warmed my heart to see your response to J's gift idea which was entirely his own. He bought you a Princess Peach zooming race car so you could race his Mario and Luigi cars and you acknowledged his thoughtfulness and you were thankful to him for that. And because you recognized his thoughtfulness it made his gift to you very special and I could tell you were really excited about it! You kindly thanked your sister for her gift to you as well and were genuinely excited about it. It made my heart so happy.
These things to me are a sign that you are growing up and learning to put other people's feelings first. And the beautiful thing about that is how happy it made you and how loved I could see it made you feel. Please never lose that. Instead, nurture it and watch it grow. It will ensure you go through life with a very happy heart.
I can't wait for the next 10 years of getting to know you. I love you with all of my heart!
