Dear Charlotte,

For the past few weeks I’ve been asking you how old you are, just to hear you say “I’m two!” because it’s so sweet and adorable. I think it’s a mama thing. Mamas have to deal with their babies getting older. The thing that has surprised me is how much I have loved the three-year-old narrative that follows “I’m two!”

You usually say, “But on my next birfday I’m gonna be free!” I ask why we had your party early and you say, “Because the baby’s comin’ at my birfday and I’m gonna be a big sister!”

Today your birthday remained your own and your brother or sister remained wombside, making us wait, just like you did until three years ago today. It’s okay. You’ll probably be glad not to have to share November 2nd when you are older and little siblings are not cool.

Happy Birthday! I’m  convinced, sweet girl that the old song is true. Three is a magic number.

“The past and the present and the future
Faith and hope and charity
The heart and the brain and the body
Give you three
That’s a magic number”

-Schoolhouse Rock

This year of age 2 has been wonderful. Since 2 1/2 you have left toddlerhood and become a full-fledged preschooler with gusto, never looking back. You are potty trained now. You still wear a Pull-Up at night, but we’ll get to that. No rush. You have left behind some toddler toys, and replaced them with your imagination. Daddy and I are amazed all the time at the stories you act out in your head and the scenarios you come up with. You’re always asking us to come to your playroom for a “picnic” or come inside Rapunzel’s “tower.”

You love your friends and classmates. You can tell us what’s happening at school each day and what you’re learning. You always want to know what letter something starts with or what a color is in Spanish. You say, “Let’s do shapes Mama!” That means you want to name what shape something is that I point out. You told your teacher recently that the square she drew was not a circle because a circle has no sides and no angles. The teacher asked you if you wanted an algebra book. We laughed. We are so proud of your excitement to learn. We have a feeling the “why” phase is fast approaching as that word comes up often.

With all of this “threeness” is you asserting your independence. We frequently hear “No! I do it by myself!” Overall, you are a well-behaved kid, but listening to Mama and Daddy or your teachers is tough for you sometimes. It’s a balance for us to encourage your independence, but still learn boundaries and manners. We’re learning.

We love how brave you are. When some kids your age scream and run away from things, you don’t. It’s not that  you weren’t scared of the zombie Halloween decoration we saw trick-or-treating, you were. But, you mustered up your courage and headed to the house anyway with the determined look Daddy and I love.

“A man and a woman had a little baby
Yes, they did
They had three in the family
That’s a magic number”

Three will mean big changes for you as  you become a big sister and we become a family of four but we know you will be up for it strong girl. This was a birthday we celebrated as a family of three for the last time. It was magical.

I love you, my darling, darling girl.

Love,

Mama