“Where have I come from, where did you pick me up?”

the baby asked its mother.

She answered, half crying, half laughing, and clasping the baby to her breast,-

“You were hidden in my heart as its

desire, my darling.

You were in the dolls of my

childhood’s games….

In all my hopes and my loves,

in my life, in the life of my mother

you have lived.”

-Rabindranath Tagore

On October 16th, my first baby girl, Ellery, turned four years old. It’s so hard to believe how fast that time has gone by and what a big girl she is now. She’s no longer the chubby cheeked toddler who I could scoop up so easily and rock to sleep. It feels like yesterday that she was turning ONE! I took some time to read some old blog posts. I love re-reading my birth stories, all the memories come flooding back.

She amazes me every day with the person she is becoming. She’s stepped into her role as big sister times two with flying colors-even “watching” baby Edie for me while I run upstairs to get something. Most of the time she is the kindest to her little brother-teaching him, showing him, giving up toys that she is playing with to make him happy. She makes me look like a superstar Mom because she is just so good (allllmost all the time!)

Ellery is in her second year in Primary at her Montessori school. She can count to 20 (plus some), she has learned to count to 10 in German (thanks to our short stint with the German au pair!) She can write her name and is learning to write other letters as well. She has made many new friends but has one friend whom she is very fond of and they are adorable and giggily and everything you’d imagine 3/4 year old girls to be like.

Her hair has grown so long, even after many haircuts. She always says she wants to keep it long like Rapunzels. It’s a beautiful shade of dirty blonde with highlights I wish I could emulate. She keeps getting taller and taller and her legs longer and longer. She still smiles with her entire face.

She loves to explore and “read maps”. She likes to write and draw-and sometimes “post” letters (thanks, Peppa). She loves games now-whether it’s tag, hide and go seek or even board games like Candy Land and Matching. We bake together quite often-hers and my favorite, chocolate chip cookies.

I can’t get over how this once little baby has now become this little girl with so much to say and think and feel. She has the sweetest soul that I want to protect forever. I wish I could bottle this time up and just come back to it whenever I could.

My dearest Elle Belle, I love you more than every smile you make, every tear you cry and every inch you grow. I don’t know what my life would be without you as I honestly can’t imagine creating someone more perfectly perfect for us. I know your fourth year of life is going to be filled with lots of amazing things and I feel so lucky to be able to be a part of it all.

Love you always, “Momma”