Today you are 7

Dear Lily,

Today you are 7. It seems you are on the cusp of something much bigger. You are growing up too fast. Some words that have been used to describe you recently: precocious, smart, sweet, intense and thoughtful.

Your memory astounds me.  I can't believe how much you can remember of things that happened years ago. I am constantly surprised by your attention to detail. You love order and predictability- it makes you feel safe after a year of lots of changes and some really tough stuff.

I never thought I would come to love that gap tooth smile as much as I do. When you laugh you just light up. You make lots of jokes and fall down laughing at them sometimes. Since I bought you a radio to help you sleep at night your love of music has grown. You listen and sing along all the time- just like me. We are always singing buddies in the car. I think your confidence in singing has grown too.

I hope you continue to grow in your self confidence and learn to be comfortable with who you are.I hope you have so much fun being a first grader and making new friends. I hope you always know that you are my baby girl and I love you with my whole heart!!!!!