Forty One Months!

My little Big Girl Bowen,

Spring has sprung and we're truly enjoying everything that the season has to offer. We got a little extra time during spring break to enjoy our surroundings, and then wholeheartedly went back into the swing of activities, school, and the regular business of the school year.

This month you seem to suddenly have gotten taller, louder, and even funnier - if that's possible. A break from activities has given us a chance to get to other fun things - you built a birdhouse with your dad (with tools!), we went downtown for the St Patricks Day parade, we've taken on longer and tougher hikes, and even biked around the seawall! Lately your dad has taken you out walking, where you walk Sandwiches yourself and don't even sit in the stroller! Having all this time to spend as a family has been a blessing and we're so lucky that we get to live the way we do.

To me, the older and bigger you get, the more tough it is to reconcile you're littleness with the girl you're becoming. I love my little girl Bowen, who says "gobbles," and asks for "a hug, a kiss, and an Eskimo kiss" each time we depart ways. But you're also turning into the girl who corrects your dad when he says, "bugs" instead of "insects" and a little girl who walks into gymnastics class on her own without a look back, and basically a girl that is learning to be herself more each and every day. Being your mama is teaching me that parenting is just a matter of letting go a little more each day. I'm here, giving you the best foundation that I possibly can, but what you do with that will happen on your own out in that big world. What's really scary is seeing how fast it's all going. And I also kind of wish you keep saying "gobbles" forever.

This month I've let you take the lead on your interests, and when something strikes your fancy we love finding out about it at the library. You're starting to know how to find things, and you know that the librarian is always there to help. Since we're moving a beehive into our garden soon, we've started learning a lot about bees and their lifecycle. We found a couple of bee books at the library, and have been familiarizing ourselves with their lives. You've been asking me daily when they're coming and are really excited to go sit with them and watch them - now that we've made it clear that they aren't the type who wish to play. You watch our windowsill seedling closely, telling anyone who will listen about how seeds grow and about pollination. With the wet weather in the last few days, you've been excited to see the worms returning, and stop to touch each one and say "good morning!" on your way to school. I adore your fascination with nature and hope it never wanes. When we drive in the car together, you absolutely love talking and have taken to asking me all the things I see out the window. In turn, you love describing what you see, as well as telling your brother all of the interesting narrative of our drive. I see so much of me in you and it's fascinating.

I love who you are and I love who you're becoming. You teach me more every day.

Happy forty one months, my love!

I love you forever,

-Your Mama