Lil, I absolutely love being your mom. Don’t get me wrong. There are certainly times, mostly when you’re tired, when you push me to my limits. But all in all, this motherhood thing has been way better than expected.
I’m not sure where to start, so I’ll just give a list of the things that you have done at 2.5 years of age that amaze me.
Lil gets to perform again with Abby Wren and Secondhand Swagger. She is the band’s biggest groupie.
1. You got up in front of more than 300 people and played tambourine with Secondhand Swagger. Abby, the lead singer, was just introducing you, but we couldn’t get you off the stage. So she handed you the tambourine and you played through the entire song.
2. During the same night, a woman you had danced with at Abby’s house a month ago waved to us to say hello. You made a bee-line over to her and started dancing with her… in front of the stage
3. When we went to Abby’s house the night the band got rained out in Villa Rica, Ga., you got up and sang with them, even though it was way past your bedtime, you were in a small garage with super loud music surrounded by people you didn’t know. When Abby called you up to sing, you strode right up to the microphone she had pulled down for you and grabbed it like a natural.
4. You are a potty training superstar!! You ride to and from school without a diaper; you already poop and pee in the potty and you only wear a diaper at night, even on road trips.
5. Mr. Ricco, who teaches Little Sports, says your hand-eye coordination is advanced to the level of the older kids in the class. He has talked about you repeatedly without being prompted.
6. You’re incredibly observant. For instance you spotted the large bronze owl on top of the TBS building in downtown Atlanta. We had driven past it for 13 years and had never noticed it. You can spot a school bus or a train a mile away.
7. Your memory is unparalleled. You don’t forget that the squirrels ate Mommy’s plants or that Uncle Matt got a pinecone stuck in his nose and had to go to the doctor to get it taken out.
8. You are one of the most empathetic and caring children I have known. You always worry about others, making sure someone who is crying is OK. And you don’t forget about it. I burned my arm one time, and you asked about it long after it had healed.
9. You’re a nurturer. Your friend Liana was learning how to use the potty at the same time as you. She went to the potty and then was getting her diaper put on by the teacher. Your Mama asked Liana if she had pee-peed in the potty. Liana said yes, and you piped up with “Good job, Liana! I’m proud of you!”
10. You make people smile. I can’t tell you how many people you touch just by being you. I’m constantly hearing how gorgeous you are or how sweet you are or how “fill in the blank” you are.
11. You never meet a stranger. I’m hoping this doesn’t get us in trouble later, but I really like how you, for the most part, really enjoy meeting new people. It’s rare for you to act shy or be scared of a situation. You’re the star attraction at the “international playground” up the street from our house. It’s where a lot of the Hispanic kids and their families hang out. For the longest time you were known as “Baby LEE-UL” and every time we go up there the boys and girls come running toward you. You fit right in.
12. JoJo says you own a room when you enter it. “She walks with a swagger, a confidence that is way beyond her years.” And boy do you love your JoJo.
13. The thing I like most is that you love and are loved, and for that I am so very grateful.
2girlsababyandabird 