Today is your day, you are the Queen. The day of your birth, it is also the first day of being double digits. It’s a big big day.

I remember the day, 10 years ago today, that you were born. I’m sure your Mom has told you your birth story many times, it is a special story. But did you know that I still remember exactly where I was sitting and what I was doing on the day you were born? It’s true!

I didn’t get to meet you until several weeks later. Although you were still a newborn when we met, you never seemed like a newborn to me. You already had a vision of where you wanted to be and I think you were set on fast-forward from the minute your tiny feet touched the Earth. By the time you were just a few months old, you were already crawling which was the craziest and most adorable thing I’ve ever seen. You were so teeny-tiny yet moving just like a baby twice your age. Of course, this was just a precursor to things to come, but no one knew it yet. You just always had to be different, ahead of the game. Even your teeth came in all crazy-like, earning you the name Vampira. Can you imagine how freaked out I’d be by those teeth!? Yikes!! For the record, I like your adult teeth much better!

One of my earliest memories of you is getting to spend your first birthday with you. Your parents both had commitments and I was the lucky one who got to hang out with you that day. I remember you showed up with your own Happy Meal for lunch which I thought was so weird. Why would a baby so little already require her own Happy Meal? But now do you know who else is the exact same way? Your sister! It’s the craziest thing - a baby so little, acting just like a big kid. It’s a good thing you taught me so much so I could use your lessons and apply them to your baby sister, your twin in so many ways already.

You talked early and often and clear and articulate and the things you said were such a crack-up. You told us how it was. And of course there is the story of the famous hammer-hitting incident where you told Teegan you were sorry *before* you came up and pounded him over his head. He’ll never let you forget it, even though you were just barely 2. But this is how you were and still are - always thinking.

When you were 3, you potty-trained yourself. You would take off your diapers to go potty in the toilet and them put them back on. That’s when we knew it was time to get rid of the diapers.  From the minute we took them off, you were dry night and day. Always ahead of the game. To celebrate your big milestone, we bought you your first leotard and ballet shoes and you were off and dancing! And let’s not forget the singing. You have a beautiful voice and always have. One of my favorite things in the world is listening to you sing.

By the time you were 4, you had taught yourself to read. You didn’t need help learning, you cracked the code on your own. And from that point out, you have been a voracious reader. There aren’t enough books in the house, ever, to satisfy you! That same year, you stood up in our wedding as the most beautiful Flower Girl to ever grace the aisles of a church. When I look at my wedding photos, it is the photos of you that make me gasp. It was a fun day but even though I was the bride, you were the star.  A few months after our wedding, you asked me if you could call me “mom” which might have been the very nicest thing anyone has ever asked me before.

So you’ve always been ten steps ahead. This created “problems” in school but you were too nice to make waves. Your teacher in Kindergarten didn’t even realize you could read until we pointed it out one day and you were promoted into first grade a  few weeks later. Still, this was only barely better for you. Remember when your teacher tested you for spelling words and you eventually intentionally got words wrong just to have pity on her after she was clearly getting exhausted with the endless correct answers? You are not just smart but empathetic. This makes me proud.

You are, to date, the only kid in our whole family to have broken a bone. You were so brave and so tough. They never even gave you pain relievers the entire time you waited through x rays and to be casted. You were a trooper through multiple cast changes and you were swinging on the monkey bars almost as soon as your final cast came off. Although your brothers sometimes tease you for being melodramatic, when push came to shove (no pun intended), you were one tough cookie. And plus, really you are never melodramatic….you are just worried about other people. It’s part of that empathy thing again.

Empathy is one of the many reasons you make friends so easily and everyone loves you. You can walk into any classroom in any school and instantly be surrounded with all your new best friends. You were only here in our new home a week and already you have a best buddy. People are drawn to you, your positive energy is contagious and you are a good friend to others. You are fun to be around and you make other people feel good. You take care of people and think about their needs. You are so good to your brothers, even when they aren’t good to you in return (or first!). And your sister idolizes you. You are a good friend, a good student, a good teammate, a good daughter. The people in your life are very very lucky to have you in their lives. You are a gift to us all.

And now here you are, turning 10. How did ten years go by so quickly, in such a blink of the eye? In 8 years, you’ll be an adult. In 6 years you’ll be free to drive off into the sunset. In 3 years you’ll be a teenager. But one thing I know about you is that you will be ready. You’ve always been ready for everything you’ve faced. In fact, you are always ready long before you have to face anything at all. I’m not sure how you do it but if you could bottle it up and sell it, you’d have your key to the world!

Happy Birthday Paigey-Princess. May all your wishes and dreams come true! My wish for you on this important day in your life is that you never forget to value yourself as much as you value everyone else in your life. You are so very important.

I love you and I can’t wait for that Melting Pot date!

This entry was posted on Monday, April 23rd, 2007 at 1:34 am and is filed under Holidays & Vacations, Photos & Videos. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.