today is savannah's second birthday. this letter is for her:
my dearest savannah,
today is your second birthday. and, it is so amazing to me how different you are this year than you were last year.
shortly after your birthday last year, you learned how to crawl... now you walk all over the place, you climb and you are almost running a lot of the time. last year you seemed very much still a baby to me, and now, while you are still small, you are not a baby at all.
shortly after your birthday last year you were only speaking a word or two, and now you seem to learn new words every day. you talk lots and lots (even if i can't understand most of it, quite yet) and i'm always excited to see what words you might learn next.
you've grown so much, in so many different ways. i love being able to watch you learn something new about the world, or just something new about yourself. i'm so happy for the person you've become today, as well as excited to see what sort of person you might be a day, a week, a month or another year from now.
i love to watch you assert your personality when i tell you that you can't do something you want to do... even if it does mean watching you cry or yell at me. i love to watch you be unexpectedly sweet, to me, like kissing my leg while i'm talking on the phone. and i love to see you dance and smile and laugh, with almost everything you do, everyday.
you remind me to slow down sometimes, when your own little legs can't keep up, or if you think something is worth stopping for -- like raindrops on leaves, or looking up at the clouds in the sky. even if it's time to do something else, and you bring me a book, we read together. you have shown me some of the simple pleasures in life, some of which i had forgotten about for a while.
your insatiable curiosity for the world has renewed my own. your pervasive happiness during each day has become my own. your enthusiasm for life has also become my own. and, i thank you so much for all of these gifts. i'm lucky to see these things again, and i'm lucky to know you.
the little baby things of only two years ago seem so far away. the hospital, the waiting, the worrying, all seem to be fading like fog when the sun rises. and, oh, do i feel like the sun has risen finally.
now, mommy and daddy are getting ready to move us all into a new house. and, it makes us both very happy. we hope that you will love it there. we hope you will have places to play. space to run around. and, having a home with be ever so much better than having our apartment here. we promise.
you have many people who have come to know you and love you in these two short years. and, you also have many people who know how remarkable you are, how strong, how determined... how completely special you are. we are all lucky to know you, and have the chance to love you.
i hope so many things for you, sweet pea, but mostly, i want you to be happy. your daddy and i love you so much, and i hope you always know that.
so, happy birthday, savannah... thank you for two wonderful years, and many many more.
love always and forever,
mommy