She's Crafty

Dear Daughter,

Sometimes you drive me a little crazy....

Like when we were at Grandma's house last weekend and you insisted on picking up every rotten apple and pear in the backyard, sampling them, and then running away from me like Speedy Gonzalez when I'd see what you were up to. But you're just so cute, how could I possibly get mad at you??


Or like the other day when I accidentally left my bathroom door open and you walked out and handed me a present....A Maxi Pad. And then after saying "Thank you" for the present, I walked into the bathroom to find an entire box of Tampons scattered all over the bathroom floor....Sigh...


I especially love how when I sit you down with your brothers to get a cute sibling photo you instantly plan out your escape route and end up smacking Luke in the face in the process of making your getaway....


And I will never understand why you think it's acceptable to eat anything and everything you come in contact with, even a piece of straw. Why Luke decided to feed it to you is another story....

You have eaten so many Dandelions in the last couple weeks on our morning walks that I'm surprised you haven't turned into a Dandelion, and don't even get me started on how many handfuls of potting soil you consumed last weekend while at Grandma's house....OMG, it was out of control!


I often wonder why in the World it is such a big deal to you if I put a barrette in your hair to hold back those curls. Can you possibly humor me by letting it stay in your hair for more than 3 minutes before ripping it out? And why do you refuse to wear all the billion cute, trendy headbands that I bought for you before you were born? They are so very lonely sitting in your top drawer collecting dust.

I used to have this hidden hope that I would wake up in the morning and you would have overnight grown up a little and learned how to slow down....But then the other day after I got you all dressed Andy said, "She looks like a teenager Mommy."


I felt my heart jump out of my chest the instant Andy uttered those words...t-e-e-n-a-g-e-r...And reality suddenly hit me...

I can take every disgusted look you give me after placing you in the stroller against your will...


I can handle every unsuccessful sibling shot in which you are preparing your getaway instead of smiling...


After all, for every failed sibling shot I get, I get a hundred darling individual shots...



I can learn to accept the fact that you love the taste of dirt and weeds. REALLY, I can learn to live with this! I can even learn to love that you enjoy dumping tampons all over my bathroom floor. Heck, throw them all you want little girl!....But please, Please, PLEASE, don't let me wake up in the morning to find a teenage Lila asking me how to use one. PLEASE stay my little Lila for as long as possible! Please drive me crazy all you want! Please continue to make me smile every time you say "Uh-oh!" or point your finger in the air and say "No no no no no!" or touch the doggy in your Feel and Learn Book and say "tickle tickle tickle"....Please take as much time as you want to grow out of bending over and looking between your legs and saying "Peekaboo"...Really, take all the time you want!


Because as much as you drive me crazy, you also make every moment of my life a happier one!


When I sing the words to that song every night rocking you in my arms....You are my Sunshine....I mean it...I REALLY mean it! And as a side note, I know you will drive me even more crazy when you are a teenager thus my reasoning behind me wanting you to stay little for your whole life, but even then, EVEN THEN, you will still be my sunshine!

Love,
Mom