Happy 9th, Avalyn!

i will tell you, my daughter
of your worth
not your beauty
everyday.  (your beauty is a given, every being is born
beautiful)
knowing your worth
can save your life.
raising you on beauty alone
you will be starved.
you will be raw.
you will be weak.
an easy stomach.
always in need of someone telling you how beautiful you 
are.

nayyirah waheed

To my toothy-grinned, athletic, brave, compassionate, loving, hyper, now Harry Potter obsessed girl, the happiest of birthdays. It seems like just yesterday we brought you home, and now you’re in your last single-digit year. 

We love you more than you can know. May you continue to grow in grace and love. And may you have many more happy returns. 
 

7

i will tell you, my daughter
of your worth
not your beauty
everyday.  (your beauty is a given, every being is born
beautiful)
knowing your worth
can save your life.
raising you on beauty alone
you will be starved.
you will be raw.
you will be weak.
an easy stomach.
always in need of someone telling you how beautiful you 
are.

nayyirah waheed

To my daughter, my pirate, my basketball champion - Happy Birthday, baby girl!!!

I pray you always know how much you mean to us.  I pray you always know your worth, deep down in your soul.  I pray you also know your beauty, for it is a given.

Stay fierce, stay strong, and stay curious.

Toothless

We finally have the first tooth out. That tooth had been so wiggly, so loose and hanging on by a single thread of a root for the past week. Over the past two days it seemed to drop an additional millimeter each day, but she would not let anyone touch it. We finally convinced her we had to pull it last night because we were seriously concerned it would fall out in the night. 

At least now she knows the process doesn’t hurt. Hopefully the next tooth, which is the other one on the top, will be a lot easier of a process. 

Otherwise, it’s going to be a very involved ordeal as she keeps losing these baby teeth  

At least for now, she’s so excited to show it off. I’ll try to convince her that if she can avoid sticking her tongue through the hole, it will come in all gold (as my family tried to convince me). 

I’m sure she’ll buy into it as much as I did. 

Five Years

Five years ago.

The culmination of a near three day labor.  Two trips to the hospital.  Three weeks early.

And we still had no idea how much this little girl would change our lives.

She is a powerhouse to deal with, smarter than we could imagine, more stubborn than both of us.  Her imagination and memory astound me.  And while she can drive us crazy like no one else, she brings us more joy and excitement than anything else in this world.

Happy Birthday Avalyn!

Happy Birthday Avalyn!

i will tell you, my daughter
of your worth
not your beauty
everyday.  (your beauty is a given, every being is born
beautiful)
knowing your worth
can save your life.
raising you on beauty alone
you will be starved.
you will be raw.
you will be weak.
an easy stomach.
always in need of someone telling you how beautiful you 
are.

nayyirah waheed

To my daughter worth more than any precious metal or gem, happy birthday!  You cannot know how much you have made our lives better.

06.11.14