To our Avary Grace, on your 7th birthday... | A personal post

Dear Avary,

It seems nearly impossible that you are 7.  There are moments when I can almost feel the squirm of you, my last baby, dancing in my belly.  And in such recent memories you were nuzzling up to my neck, your warm and sweet milky breath on my skin as your body rose and fell in deep sleep.  It feels as if it was just yesterday that I was watching you splash in the tub, your plump little legs kicking, as your laughter and the smell of lavender filled the room.  My baby girl, you will truly always be our baby...the angel girl that was an unexpected completion to our family.  But 7 feels so far removed from the baby days and your Daddy and I are watching you grow from baby to beauty.

I see so much of your Daddy in you--all his best qualities.  You are fierce and determined, passionate and creative.  You can charm just about anyone and love spontaneity and fun.  I admire how fearless and energetic you are and how willing you are to try new and different things.  Your strength never ceases to amaze me and it is why I worry so much less about you than I once thought I would.  I smile when I see the joy you get from helping others, and the love you show to everyone around you makes my heart soar!

And oh, you are my girl, too.  Sensitive and meticulous...always wanting things to be just right.  I'll never forget watching you furiously erasing an answer you had gotten wrong on a kindergarten paper, tears streaming down your face.  "Mommy, I missed one."  I've seen you let go a little, and I'm thankful. You've even gently reminded me at times, "Mommy, things don't have to be perfect."  Don't lose the drive for excellence, but show yourself grace.  (And I promise to try to do the same.)

Secretly, I miss the days when you wrote your Rs and 3s backward and yet, seeing you learn has been an incredible gift.  Hearing you read beautifully and watching you solve difficult math problems, blows me away!  You are smart.  Don't ever be ashamed of that.  But also remember that it isn't your beauty or your brains that truly define you.  You are fearfully and wonderfully made by the Creator of the Universe and He defines you as a masterpiece...someone worth giving His life for.  That is where true worth is found.

Even though you are 7, some things haven't changed.  You still love to cuddle.  Music still soothes and quiets you at night.  You still love bubble baths and footie pjs.  Your smile still melts all the boys in the house, and you still love for me to read to you at night.  Daddy is still your hero.  I'm so grateful that those things haven't changed.  I kind of think (and hope) they never will.

7 feels like the big time to me.  And I get this sense that I should close this with some wish or hope for your future.  But ultimately, I'm just grateful for who you are right now, today.  I'm inspired by your faith in Jesus, your love and your enthusiasm for life.  And I'm grateful for another year to watch you grow.  Oh how thankful I am to be your mommy.  I love you to the moon and back!

xoxo