Dear Miss T:

Happy birthday, little one.  Three years, wow!  Look at you, getting all big and stuff.

You, missy, certainly keep us all on our toes.  You’re just always up to something – whether with the intent of mischief or not.  For example, one morning when I went to get you out of bed, I noticed that something wasn’t right.  What’s going on with your pants? I asked.  You grinned and exclaimed, dey’re on de WONG WAY! Yes, yes they most definitely were.  Apparently at some point during the night you took off your pants, turned them inside out, then put them back on.  Impressive, yet bizarre.

I don’t know that I’ll ever get used to the differences between you and AE.  And oh, there are many.  You’re just such a typical toddler, and I realize now that he wasn’t.  You’re everything he isn’t – strong-willed and high-energy and basically just crazy-pants.  But in a FUN way.  (Most of the time.)

You have an incredible sense of humor.  You really do.  You go out of your way to make people laugh, and I can tell that you get such joy from doing so.  I’m sure eventually we’ll be getting phone calls from exasperated teachers – your personality has “class clown” written all over it – but for now, we just laugh.

And your imagination – I’ve never seen anything like it.  You can take the most innocuous of items and see whole scenarios, which you cheerfully play out much to the confusion of your brother, poor guy, firmly entrenched in his box as he is.  He just doesn’t understand the way your wee mind works.  I don’t either, to be honest, but it is obviously a wondrous, fascinating place.  I hope you keep that creativity throughout your life.  It will serve you well.

You’re such a joy.  For all your stubbornness and spite and that propensity for tiny, tiny rage, you really are just that.  An absolute delight.  You live with such reckless abandon that it’s hard to not fall prey to your charm.  I wish I had your cheer.  Not to mention your apparently endless energy, as you careen wildly from one activity of questionable safety to the next.  (Side note: it really would be fine if you just…sat down every once in a while.)

You’re still fearless.  It concerns me from time to time, honestly, since I have to be constantly vigilant whenever you leave the room.  But you also have a high tolerance for pain, which is a fortunate match for your dangerous lifestyle.  You’re a wonder, little one.

I’m a little worried about what the next year of your life holds for us – as comparatively easy of a toddler as your brother was, three was still difficult.  I will never understand why the twos are supposedly so terrible – three was far far worse for us.  But I’m not going to worry about it too much – we’ll just take each day at a time and enjoy you for what you are.  A sweet, loving, charming, beautiful little girl that I love more than life itself.

I adore you, baby girl.  We all do, even AE.  He may play coy at times, but I hear what’s going on when the two of you assume I’m not listening.  He’s becoming that big brother I’d always hoped he’d be.  He’s your unwitting hero, your protector, your greatest admirer.  Treasure that, baby girl.  You’ve got the greatest sibling a kid could ever hope for.

I’m so lucky, I can’t even put it into words.  I love you so much and I hope you have a wonderful birthday.

Mommy

P.S.  Sorry about the post-Christmas birthday timing you got stuck with.  It…kind of sucks.