Six

Where has time gone, my girly girl? It seems like just a minute ago you were J's age. Swimming in your grandma's pool, and blowing out two candles on your Barbie cake. The one I melted in the oven after I had decorated it and used the oven to store it until the party, I had to frost it all over again, silly Mom!

You are my sweet and eager to please girl. You were going to be the baby of the family. I wonder sometimes if you feel a little lost, having been shoved into the role of a middle child. You are an awesome big sister, even though J resists your loving now, I just know you and she will be best friends someday. You're friends with everyone. No one can resist your sweet smile and kind heart. Your Sunday School teacher tells me, in secret of course, that you are her favorite. The music leader loves watching you sing your little heart out and always tells me what a well behaved, polite little girl you are.

You are super smart in school. You love to do your work, and you can already tell time all by yourself. You can count to 100 by ones, fives, tens and twenty-five. You know your addition facts almost as well as your brother and you love to copy things down in your "papers". Don't worry one little bit about your reading. You are almost there! You can read lots of the words, and when you find the confidence to sound things out, you're gonna light the world on fire.

I love that you still carry your "Rabbie" to bed with you. I remember the time that you noticed a hole in her and when I came to tuck you in, I covered you up and saw that Rabbie was not on your bed. When I asked you where she was, you told me, with great big tears in those liquid brown eyes that you folded her and put her on your dresser because you didn't want her to ever wear out. My heart just melted and I told you that Rabbie was made a long time ago for me by some people who had a whole lot of love in their hearts. They sewed all that love into Rabbie, and they meant for her to be loved by me, and then by my little girl. I told you that Rabbie was given to you to love, and that she was easily mended with a little more of the same love that went into making her. I took her off the dresser where you had placed her, and put her on top of your blankets, just like you always liked, and the very next morning, we got out my sewing machine and we fixed Rabbie together. We sewed her little edging back tight and made sure the pink rabbit that makes Rabbie be Rabbie was sewed up nice, and you danced all around the kitchen table. I used her again tonight to tuck you in, and I'm so glad she's still there for you to love. I know the day will come that you won't need her corner to rub on your little eye to help you drift off to sleep, and I think the morning you come into my bed without her, my heart will break into a million pieces.

You've always been my cuddler. I think you will be the one who will play with my hair and lie down with your head in my lap. When you were a baby, you refused to be put down. There were many days when I'd just hold you all day and most of the night. I didn't always appreciate that contact as much as I could have. I used to love to watch you sleeping in my arms. Until my arms ached and I thought they'd drop off from lack of circulation.

I love you so much it takes my breath away. I'm so lucky we get to be friends forever. I'll be the best mommy I can, and I hope you'll forgive my many shortcomings. I'll cherish the day your daddy gives you to the man of your dreams, I'll cry the day I hold your babies, and I'll always be here when you need a soft place to land. You and me babe. You're the girl I always knew I'd have and I'm so lucky and proud to be your mom. Happy sixth birthday K-lou.