A letter to my daughter: your 3rd half-birthday

Dear Gianna -

I can not even begin to wrap my mind around the fact that today you are 2 and a half years old. I have no idea where the time has gone and can not believe how quickly you have gone from a baby who needed me for everything to such an independent toddler.

HI!!! Friends, come in to my house!

You are a social butterfly, everywhere we go you ask where your friends are and deem anyone who will look your direction as a friend.  I hope you keep this quality for the rest of your life, it’s an invaluable quality.

dancing away with one of her best girlfriends.

Of course you love to dance still, dance class has been so fun for you and for me!  You love to practice your moves and it is so fun to watch you learn and grow with each class.  Other things you love right now – coloring, the library, being outside for any reason, shoes and picking out your own clothes, playing dress up, doing mine and daddy’s hair, brushing your teeth, getting your nails painted, going to grandma and papa’s house and just pretending – your imagination is always working!  Along with dancing, you have taken to singing a lot and that is quite hysterical – especially because you often say you are singing like Ariel!

Since you started laughing at a few months old, there weren’t too many times that you really LAUGHED.  That has all changed as you get older – your laugh is infectious and paired with those bright eyes – it’s enough to turn any bad day into a pretty fantastic one.  Listening to you laugh makes my heart happy.  Almost as happy as when you say “I lob you mommy” or blow me kisses on my way out the door in the morning.

Being your mom keeps getting better and better – we have conversations about how our days went, we play together and laugh together – girl talk and girl time has officially started in this house and I love every minute of it.  Everyday isn’t easy, you love to express your opinion on everything in your life – good or bad.  You use your manners, help with chores around the house and do so many things that I can’t even begin to list them all – it is truly amazing all that you know, say and do.

You are my tiny dancer, my smallest best friend, my chipper little parrot, my fashionista; I love you more than words, pretty girl. 

love you until forever,

mommy