These Quiet Moments

My dearest Guppy,

This letter is very much overdue, as your third birthday was over a month ago. Even back then, it didn't seem real. You were still the same delicate, sensitive two year old that you had been all year. Even now, over a month later, there are times that I forget that you are now three.

But little by little, I sense the small changes that have come over you. These small changes have been just enough to prove to me that yes, you are in fact getting older.

You still seem so delicate and fragile. But at times, a new streak of stubbornness shows through. Many times, instead of doing what I say without question as you have done in the past, you instead crossed your little arms over your chest and boldly told me "No!"

You interact more with other children. When you used to play quietly in the corner by yourself, you now jump into the games and chaos with all the other children. You boldly assert yourself, telling others what you don't like and what is okay.

You talk a lot more. And surprisingly, you reveal how much you observe during learning time. Your learning style is so different from the Mermaid's that for a while, I wondered if you were really learning anything at all. You are modest and quiet with your learning, compared to the Mermaid. While she loves to walk around and talk and sing about what she learned, you keep it all quietly inside you, until you bring it out in the most random moments to astonish us all.

Still, despite this new boldness and stubbornness within you, you still retain that delicate and sensitive quality that the Mermaid has abandoned by this age. You still like to cuddle with me, and give me kisses. You still like to be near me, in my arms if possible. You still bury your head in my shoulder or hide behind my legs when you see something that makes you nervous.

This morning I woke up early and rose to start my day. You instantly sat up, groggy with sleep and trying to keep your eyes open. But you wouldn't go back to sleep unless I was laying with you. When I tried to convince you, you simply threw your arms around my neck and said But I need you, Mommy.

Even though there were a lot of things to be done, I lay back down with you a little longer. Because there will come a day soon, when you won't need me anymore. So I resolve to enjoy these quiet moments of cuddling while I still can.

Happy (belated) Birthday, Guppy. We love you so much.

These Quiet Moments