To Charlotte, On Her 4th Birthday

At a cupcake shop in my parents' town.

The sugar kicked in.

"I'm four! I'm four! I'm four I'm four I'M FOUR!" you shouted today, the 4-year anniversary of your birth.

Oh, Charlotte Marie. I've drafted this post in my head several times, but I keep coming up short on articulating how amazing you are and how happy and proud you've made us.

This past year, you mastered spelling your name, learning your letters, cutting with scissors, cracking eggs, dressing yourself, and a few important and necessary potty-related tasks. And your handwriting? Already light years better than Daddy's.

You collected shells on the beaches of North Carolina and swam in the ocean in Hawaii. You joined the big-girl class for gymnastics, moved into the pre-K class at school, rooted tirelessly for the Seahawks, and went on your first camping trip.

But enough of the laundry lists bespeaking your greatness. What we love is your Charlotte-ness, the way in which you view the world and interact with the people lucky enough to be around you. Pink and purple "make pretty," you declare, you become breathless with delight at the sight of sequins and sparkles and rhinestones, and you seem quite certain that by the time you hit kindergarten, you'll be a grown-up and finally able to be a mommy--with two babies and one kid, you've decided.

You've got such a sweet and jolly disposition, and we love watching you explore, engage with, and flirt with the world around you. You miss no detail, my bright girl. 

You continue to be the goddess of your sister's life: her idol, her buddy, her role model. Patiently, you help her dress or eat. Hilariously, you entertain her. Sweetly, you console her. Incredibly, you share with her. Like, cheerfully.

This past year, you've become Miss Independent--good luck to any poor soul who dares assist you with a zipper or a shoe. "I can do it MYSELF" is your mantra, and it's true. You CAN do so much yourself, from brushing your teeth (down to putting the toothpaste on the brush and rinsing your mouth) to potty to dressing to preparing snacks (we were particularly impressed when you washed a bunch of grapes and then cut them in half with a knife from your play kitchen).

You are sparkly bright, adorably witty, and always so sweet. Your innocence has stuck with you, despite your exposure to the big bad world, and for that, we're grateful.

My darling first-born, you are a big girl, barreling toward all that "growing up" means and entails. But today, Daddy and I remember the first time we each held you, stunned you were ours, terrified you were ours, and overjoyed that you were ours.

You've had a dynamite first four years of life. Happy birthday, you fabulous, glittery girl. Mommy and Daddy looooooooove you!