Today my sweet daughter, you are nine and I can't bring myself to believe that these words are true. I know I say this every year, but it feels like yesterday that you were placed in my arms, and you stared at me so lovingly with those big beautiful blue eyes. The minute you came into this world, it was incredibly clear that you were a beautiful force to reckoned with– two tiny hands clenched into fists thrown in the air, a wisp of black hair and the cutest little button nose.
I am so very grateful to have watched you blossom into such a loving, intelligent, strong, determined, feisty, funny little girl. You instantly light up a room with your amazing personality and smile. My little lady you've had the most beautiful smile from day one and I love the way you approach everything in life with such kindness and positivity. I hope that you will always allow your wonderful self to shine. Because, you deserve the world.
In the last nine years, you have taught me so much and I have to thank you for that. You have shown me that the world is full of wonder. The excitement of finding a ladybug in the garden, the happiness you show when blowing bubbles and watching them being carried away by the wind, or when you hear the the loud crack of thunder, a smile comes across your face, as you run upstairs to pull the curtains back to watch the storm. The world is a wonderful place and seeing these moments through your eyes is the most amazing gift.
You have pushed me to find and practice patience, and a lot of it. You will come to understand that trying to teach a toddler right from wrong, and asking them to hold their cup with both hands so they don't spill their juice a hundred time or so will make anyone go crazy. Patience is something that you have instilled in my mind now and will always encourage me to blow my anger at the cloud or tell me to sing my woes away.
In these few years together, you have shown incredible strength and courage. You have been through more than most, but you have never allowed that to stop you becoming the wonderful person you are. My girl, you are one of the most inspiring people in my life and you never fail to amaze me as the days go by. You've made me a stronger person and will always show me that perfection doesn't have anything on my flaws. You have encouraged me to accept the fact that I don't always have to push myself to perfection, because my scars have made me who I am.
You will see a moment to remember in rain puddles where my adult eyes see a forthcoming pair of wet boots that will undoubtedly need replacing. You find the joy in piles of lego bricks or the splashes of paint that has dripped onto the table that just missed your picture. Everything seems to have a purpose whether its a old box that can be made into a robot, a pair of socks that double up as a duvet or a jaggered stick that can be made into a magical fairy wand.
These kinds of moments are found everywhere, even when you're not looking for them. For me, it was found being woken up with your tiny arms thrown across for a cuds and then listening to the sweetest little snores in my ear as we both fall back into a slumber. It's times like this that fill me with joy and feel grateful to know that I get to spend my days with you. You’re my rainbow little lady and my very best friend.
As always, this year has been a wonderful year filled with many adventures. Although, I could tell you about every single adventure, it will always be the little moments that will stay with me forever. The time we walked among wild horses in the hills down in Devon, it may sound like something out of a novel. But that moment, standing on top of a rock with your arms stretched out, you said this was the happiest you have ever felt. How about the afternoon we spent in Brixham Harbour on that pirate ship, that stinky old ship! It was so much fun looking around the ship where you pretended to be a mean old captain, breaking the boat wheel in the process because you were so excited - so we made a run for it as it would have been a costly day out.
How about when we walked through Lyme Regis, you tried your best to find the best fossil you could fin, pressed it into my hand and told me it was something special to keep forever. My mind always flutters back to moments like this. You have the kindest heart.
I will be fondest of our road trips to Great Yarmouth because it was a place that you stepped out of your comfort zone and tried so many new experiences. Whether it was paddleboarding, climbing rocks or even riding your very first 'big' rollercoaster. Even though your eyes were wild with panic, your cheeks were flushed and you asked so many times whether the rollercoaster would do 'loop-de-loops', you did it! You were so happy with yourself afterwards, it fills my heart with such pride. You are capable of so many things my beautiful girl, if only, you believe in yourself a little more.
The summer evening walk along Bacton Beach with the puppies to watch the sun set over the sea, it felt like we were in a film.
We watched the summer end with a walk along Bacton Beach to see the beautiful pink sun set over the sea. It felt like a perfect setting on a film. It was like nothing I had ever seen before. I will always remember the look on your face when we headed to London on the train to see your very first West End Show at Theatre Royal Drury Lane. You were in complete awe. You gasped at all the coronation decorations at Covent Gardens and you could hardly contain your excitement seeing Buckingham Palace and Big Ben for the first time.
It doesn't matter where you go, you always seem to make people smile. You have the kindest heart and you don't know how long I have been waiting for you to see yourself, for the beautiful, kind and courageous girl you are. My birthday wish for you this year is that I hope you will always feel confident enough to be yourself and to realise that you are enough.
Happy 9th Birthday my little Miss Sunshine...
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