Dear Chickpea,

So today you turned three years old, and I can hardly believe how fast those years have gone.  I was looking through older photos today, and I had forgotten how small you were when we did certain things.  I know I’ll say the same thing in another few years, when I look back to photos of your third year of life.

You really have had quite the year.  Two weeks after you turned two, we moved overseas.  You said goodbye to friends and family – the only people you knew, really – and boarded a plane to another world.  Goodbye to goldfish crackers, Nick Jr., and library storytimes.  Hello to high-rise urban apartment life, riding the bus and subway everywhere, and getting milk delivered to your doorstep each morning.  To you, it’s normal to take a boat on the ocean to the other side of town.  It’s weird for you to have a backyard.

Thanks for hanging in there this year, sweetie.  Not only did you move to another country, you traveled to four other ones.  We spent the summer in Thailand, living in other people’s houses and playing with other kids’ toys.  You are oohed and ahhed over everywhere we go, thanks to your blonde hair and blue eyes.  Like your Hot Rod says, you’re the Darling Llama here.  You can’t go to the grocery store without total strangers wanting to touch your hair, pinch your cheeks, give you a kiss, or even pick you up and talk to you.  And while you don’t completely embrace this rather unmerited affection (thankfully), you endure it with a polite smile.  Thanks for that.

And now, you’ve welcomed a baby brother in your life, and your world is upside-down once again, at least for the moment.  So far, you’re a fantastic big sister.  I love watching your adoring admiration for him and how you show him off to our friends.  I hope you guys will soon be friends.

So happy birthday, my big girl.  Here’s to another year of craziness in our family.  I can’t imagine life without you.

posted: 08 February 11
under: family