Birthday Girl!

Maya's birthday yesterday was wonderful!  She woke up all cheerful, I held her close and sang her happy birthday.  I gave her a little hello kitty dressed up as a devil as a little birthday morning treat, and also because she had slept so well the night before (5 stickers on her reward chart!).  She loved the warmth and attention.  She got to have a special breakfast - whatever she wanted.  She chose a waffle.  Or as she said, "vaffle."  Love my eastern-european kid.

I only stayed at work for a few hours, but left to go bring little mini-muffins to Maya's school.  She didn't know I was coming.  It was such a treat to walk into her class and see her with her birthday crown on!

She was so excited.  She helped me pass out muffins to all of her friends.  Then we put a candle in hers and everyone sang "Happy Birthday" and "Yom Huledet Sameach."  Ahhh, love Valley Beth Shalom.

Afterwards I read one of Maya's favorite stories to the whole class.  We read "Teddy is Polite", and when the kids saw that the characters were teddy bears, they couldn't stop talking about their own Teddy Bears.  Such discussion!  Such excitement!

It was really a sweet, sweet day.  In  the evening we all (Maya, Ethan, Daddy and I) had dinner out on our new porch swing, and Maya got another fruit tart with a candle.  We sang and had the best little time.  Later on Uncle Brad, Aunt Shelley, and Alana and Jeremy came over to wish her a happy birthday and brought her some new clothes.  She was so happy!  This girl loves clothes.

She got so many phone calls, messages, hugs and love.  Seriously, what a lucky 3 year old!  Next weekend she has the most amazing birthday party planned.  I hope she is loving this as much as I am.

At night before she went to bed, she said, "You are the best mommy ever."  Totally unprompted!  Tears started to well up in my eyes.  She then went on to say "Mommy, you are my best friend."  I mean, come on!  Who put her up to saying that??

I love my girl.  She is the bees knees.  I feel like the luckiest mama in the world that she's mine.

Maya, 3 years old

Dear my sweet little Maya-le,

I feel so full of emotion the night before your 3rd birthday. 3 years - wow! I think of you when you were just a little thing and I think to who you are now, and it is an incredible testament to this thing called life what a beautiful little soul you are and how much you have brought, and how much you have to bring, to this world.

This is an incredible age, because you really start to understand the world around you. You understand that some things work in your favor, and sometimes things don't. You start to learn that everything has consequences, both positive and negative. This is an amazing thing to experience as your mommy! There is so much I want to show you and teach you.

Lately you are asking about everything. You want a watch. You want earrings. You sing songs all the time. You are learning words in Hebrew at school - echad, shtaim, shalosh... yeladim. You love shabbat and making challah at school. You love lighting the candles on shabbat, and sometimes you even ask us to light the candles on the other nights. You love to laugh and be silly, and you have a lot of emotion.

You absolutely love school and your friends. You talk about them all the time! You love seeing friends at My Gym and at dance class. You've become such an incredible swimmer. Full on swimming before your 3rd birthday! I never would have thought.

You love Ethan, even if you sometimes feel confused by your feelings. You make sure he understands what is yours is yours and you don't like it when he takes your things, but you also rush to give him something else to play with. If we're out and about and he's not with us, you express how much you miss him.

Being your mommy is the most incredible experience of my life. It's full of so many emotions - joy, excitement, passion, concern, but the strongest emotion of all, the one that I feel vibrating in my bones, is love. You are my baby and I absolutely adore you. From here today, until forever.

Love,

Mommy