My baby is growing up!

Laila is turning 4 and I find it to be so bittersweet. The things she has accomplished and learned in such a short time is an inspiration to me, and I'm so proud to be her mom. She is enjoying preschool, making new friends, and learning so much! She can write her first and last name, count to twenty, and knows all her shapes and colors. She is so compassionate, and wants to share her knowledge, caring, and joy with everyone. She's growing into the little girl I never dreamed of having, but wouldn't trade for the world. Watching her turn from my baby into a beautiful little girl is the easiest and hardest job I've ever had to do. I can remember the first time I smelled her skin, when she first said "momma" and how proud she was when she first used the big girl potty. Now her milestones are so much more monumental, it seems. She has outgrown her toddler bed, started preschool, and now I answer to "Mom". She knows nothing but how to love, and is the best big sister Kenadi could ask for; that alone makes me feel like I can mark this down as a job well done. I may be clueless, but I know she is depending on me to show her the way, and she makes it easy to figure out. I feel as though we are teaching each other the way to live this adventure we call life, and we are doing a fine job.

I could never thank her enough for all that she has taught me in the short 4 years of her life. If I tried to tell her how much she means to me, how much she has changed me, I would fail miserably. There are not words to express everything she has taught me, there is no way to thank her for every smile, and not enough hugs and kisses to show her how much it means to me when she says "I love you, Mommy". Her patience is inspirational, her laugh is contagious, and her heart is so big, at times, it's overflowing. She finds happiness in the simpliest things: the sun is shining, a sporadic trip to starbucks, or a sticker from the bank teller. Who would have thought something so small would make her entire day? Amazing. Truly amazing.

I find myself depending on her as much as I know she depends on me. The relationship we have is almost like that of two old friends, or sisters, that have known each other their whole lives. Isn't it funny, we really have known each other her whole life, and it's a great feeling, almost like I can hardly wait for more. She is my emotional support beam, and I am hers as well. Without each other, we are nothing, but together, we are unstoppable. There's nothing we can't accomplish together, and I have no one but her to thank for it.

Laila, Mommy loves you.