After all the birthday craziness has died down around here, I thought it might be time for a little reflection. We got so swept up in planning for fairies and elves, I never took the time to really wrap my mind around the fact that my baby turns three years old today. In fact, as I sit down to write this, it was three years ago today, almost to the minute, that she and I first looked into each other’s eyes.

Her eyes are what I remember about her the most. Once we got back to our room following her delivery, and the mean nurse finished bathing her, I remember her eyes being wide and alert, looking around the room, seemingly perfectly aware of everything around her (as opposed to her father, who had completely and immediately zonked out on the couch as soon as we got to our room). The person who said, “The eyes are the window to the soul,” must have known Mylie. She is one of those people who shows every emotion with her eyes – her smiles, her sadness, her illnesses, her sense of humor.

Mylie showed us her first (intentional) smile on the day she turned 5 weeks old. And after that there was no turning back. She smiled at anyone who ever looked at her. It was more than once that we were told “Hey, you could call her Smiley Mylie!” Ahh, if only we could all be so original. I should have known then that her inclination toward social-butterfly-dom was not just a passing phase. She is an extrovert in every sense of the word. Yes, she has her stranger-danger moments (as we would hope she would!), but she is a social creature. She thrives on being with her friends and family, and struggles with any amount time spent in solitariness.

I happened to be reading up on Mylie’s numerology today (no, no, I’m not a subscriber, but it’s fun anyway). And in all honesty – it describes her to a tee:

“The 3 loves connecting with people. The characteristics of the 3 are warmth and friendliness, a good conversationalist, social and open. A good talker both from the standpoint of being a delight to listen to, but even more importantly, one who has the ability to listen to others. Accordingly, the life path 3 produces individuals who are always a welcome addition to any social situation and know how to make others feel at home. The approach to life tends to be exceedingly positive. Your disposition is almost surely sunny and openhearted. A happy and often inspired person, you are constantly seeking and needing the stimuli of similar people.”

Numerology aside, Mylie has an insatiable love of dance, but even more than that, she loves to spin. “‘Pin with me, daddy!” is usually the first thing Nick hears when he gets home at night. He hears this, of course, because hours earlier in the day, I have put my foot down and refuse to spin in the living room even one more time! I think she would spin forever – or until she vomited – if left unchecked.

I am constantly amazed by her spacial abilities as well as her reasoning skills. She generally always knows where we are when we’re driving, and will point out whose house we’re not only driving by, but who lives around the corner. She’s a puzzle pro (like her old man), and we often catch her reading off letters from billboards or other signs as we drive.

And to my delight and dismay, she is becoming ever more independent. She wants to do most everything for herself these days… that is, of course, except when I need her to do something herself. Then all I hear is, “I CAN’T do it! I have little hands!” (Yep, I’m not kidding, that’s a quote). But in general, she’s growing up. I remember the days when three seemed SO OLD! And now, here she is, attitude and all. I can tell this year is going to be much more difficult than the last, discipline-wise (she is getting a bit sassy in her old age and often reminds me of a smart-mouthed teenager), but if the truth be known, there’s a little voice inside me that says it’s going to be a heck of a lot of fun too! So Happy Birthday, Baby! We love you!

And a shout out to all the other June 8th-ers out there!

This entry was posted on Sunday, June 8th, 2008 at 10:45 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. 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.