The Littlest Princess Turns Three

Yes, we're definitely in the world of "big girl, mommy, not a baby anymore" according to Princess G. She hit the big three with a bang this morning, delaying her usual "nothing gets in the way of me and my morning chocolate milk" cup to open a birthday present her daddy left on the table.

Her reaction was so priceless - and so Princess G. A gasp of excitement, a huge smile and a big "Ooh, wow! Thank you!" that darn near made me cry. She pushed me over the edge tonight, when she (completely uncoached) came up to me while I was cleaning the kitchen after diving into her birthday cake, patted my cheeks with her little hands when I bent down to see what she needed, and said, "Thank you for the chocolate cake, Mommy. I wuv you." Yep, that's a Kleenex moment.

She's always been a sweetie - a cuddle-bug, a big hugger and snuggler, sometimes to the chagrin of the King, who's had to make room for her in between us at night more times than I care to count (don't tell him, but I love having her snuggled between us). She's also completely and totally a mama's girl - and although I would like to go to the bathroom by myself at some point again in my life, I'm loving every minute of it. Even the hissie-fits she occasionally throws always end with a sobbing "I sorry, Mommy. Pick me up." And yes, I'm a completely whipped weenie - of course I pick her up, hold her tight, nibble on the rapidly disappearing folds of baby fat on her neck and try to sear every part of the moment into my brain, so I can recall it when the baby fat is long gone.

Happy Birthday, Princess G - thank you for being my feisty, funny, fun-loving honey bun. And thank you God, for giving us such a treasure.