Erika turns 4 year old
My darling Peanut turned 4 years old. Where does the time go?!
It feels like a blink of an eye that she was a toddler learning to talk and walk, and a single moment that she was a helpless baby in my arms.
I remember so vividly feeling her grow and move inside me, and the countless months-- no, years-- before then that I prayed and waited for her.
The compliment most strangers give when they see her is they say she is the most beautiful girl they've seen.
And while I politely say "thank you", I want to say: She is not just beautiful. She is so smart beyond her years, and she has a wicked sense of humor. She is kind to her friends and gentle with animals. She loves nature and her family, and gives hugs and kisses freely to everyone that she loves. She is sensitive and generous and has such a big heart.
Today, as we walked to the restaurant for dinner, she asked: "Mommy, will you hold my hand?"
We held hands as we walked along the sidewalk, and I said "I hope that you will always want to hold my hand, even when you grow up and become a really big girl."
Erika said: "I promise I will always hold your hand, even when I'm really big... like, when I'm 18."
I said: "You promise? Okay, that makes me happy."
Then she said: "And if I forget when I'm 18, you can remind me that I promised you I'd always hold your hand when I was 4 years old."
*heart melt*