Dear Sweet Ella,
Today, you are five. It seems like just yesterday you entered our lives at 2:32 am. I hadn’t understood at the time how much 7 pounds, 5 ounces could change someone’s life. While you couldn’t call me mommy for many months and kept your tiny blue eyes pinched shut for hours after your birth, I was all at once captivated by the precious little girl in my arms and by my new title: Mom.
I’ve watched you grow in the last five years and stand in awe of the wonderful little girl you have become. I’ve beamed with pride over you accomplishments and I’ve learned to be grateful for small steps. I’ve shed tears and worried over you. Filling out endless assessments, paperwork, and researching your various medical complexities: choroid plexus cyst, a hemoglobin variant called Park Ridge, and delayed myelination. In the scheme of things, each of those has been a small bump in the road compared with what others face. Watching you catch up to your peers has been so fun and rewarding. Watching you surpass your peers in some things like reading is even more fun!
Today I looked at some photos of you through the years. In the last year, you’ve lost your baby look. You’re now all little girl, and not so little, still long and lean. You have a keen sense of humor and love to use your imagination. The doll house and Barbies are you favorite toys. You’re a singer, a dancer and a reader.
I’m so excited to see what the next year brings. Your life is about to change in ways you don’t understand. In a week, we begin our move to Austin, Texas. Today was your last day of both of your school programs and while you don’t quite comprehend what’s happening, seeing you surrounded by your friends in a group embrace melted my heart. You’ve been surrounded by teachers, therapists, and friends who have loved you like family. They have been such a big part of your life and I hope we can find more people in Texas to add to our extended family who will also love you and watch you grow.
I have a feeling FIVE is going to be a great year for you.
I love you so much, Mommy
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