To Lorelei, On Your Third Birthday

Lorelei Belle! You're THREE!

Are you ready to put the terrible twos behind you? Because I am. Oh, my sweet girl, how you tried my patience, challenged every parenting trick I thought I knew, and argued argued ARGUED like the little Opp-Hofmann that you are.

And yet, Miss Feistypants, you remained joyfully spirited (oh, SO spirited) and one of the most loving little creatures ever.

You are smart, Lorelei. Papa calls you "scary smart," and you are indeed always one step ahead of us. You absorb everything around you, with a big sister to guide you along. You are literal. You are convinced of your own rightness. You are three.

You kiss gently and hug fiercely. Lorelei, you are the best hugger. The. Best. You are also the worst person I know at compromise.

You are hilarious. You have brought us so much joy, between with your extraordinary expressive facial expressions and your commentary on the world around you. You call it how you see it. For now, it's endearing.

Lorelei, you are the embodiment of childhood joy. You run from place to place, Marshawn Lynch-style, ready to torpedo anyone who gets in your way. And every once in a while, you half prance, half dance your way down the hall or across the room. At these times, you're usually clad in only your undies. If that.

Which brings us to potty training. Well, let's just not talk about that, okay? It's a sore subject for us both.

What else, Lorelei? You established yourself as a lefty this past year. You can spell your name and stay dry through naps. You love music, Finding Nemo, Elmo, gymnastics, and seahorses. YOUR seahorse, in particular--your cuddle object, security blanket, the item I fear losing most in the world, because I'm sure life would completely halt if LORELEI LOST HER SEAHORSE.

You love your dog. You and Emma have an unspoken bond that goes beyond what the rest of us humans have with her. We suspect that she has pegged you as the alpha. Which you possibly are. 

You adore your sister. And "losing" Charlotte (your word) to kindergarten has been so hard for you. You copy her, follow her, play with her, wrestle her, and, when sleeping with her, hog the bed so completely that she has banned you from her bed. You are lucky to have your Charlotte, and she's so lucky to have YOU.Oh, how you girls love each other. 

Lorelei, it's this simple: You are a firestorm of Lorelei-ness, one heck of a unique, spirited, DETERMINED little girl. We love you so much. We're so glad you're ours. Happy birthday, sweet girl.

When you escaped. And ran down the street. In only undies. (We have a fence now.)