To my little girl,
Today you turn nine.
Which sounds perilously close to ten.
I’m not ready for you to be that old yet.
You are. Since birth you have been a bouncing ball of energy and confidence. Brimming with self belief, over flowing with character, you are my child who has always gotten away with murder – as your older siblings will gleefully tell you.
Because you are my baby.
I know I only have a short time left where you will tolerate me writing about you in this space. So I will maximise it to the full. You make my heart hurt when I look at you, I love you that much.
You were too little to remember me and your Daddy being together, so the left hand side of the bed has always been your spot. Even now, as you speed towards nine, you love to sneak down under the cloak of darkness, burrow your way into bed with me and find the crook of my arm to nestle in.
I complain as you kick around the covers, and take up all the space. But we both know, that when this comfort ends, it is I who will miss it more.
In your eighth year, you have achieved so much, from bravely giving up your hair to donate to The Little Princess Trust to staying away from home on your PGL Brownie adventure.
We went to Disneyland, and I feared you may be too grown up for the magic, but as you leapt into the arms of each fairy tale character, my worries simply melted away.
On one side I can’t wait to see who you will become, and on the other – I simply want to freeze time.
And you,
You just can’t wait to celebrate.
Happy Birthday Libby-Sue – I love you to the moon and back.
Mummy x