My beautiful Ettie this is your third birthday letter
I’m so tired as I write this letter to you. We’ve been up since 4am and have had an action packed day celebrating you turning three. You’re snuggled up in the bed next to me and I just don’t want to leave your side. I’m so wonderfully proud of the clever, funny, charming, loving, sassy, beautiful three year old you’ve grown up to be, but I also can’t believe you’re three already and those early years of motherhood are behind me.
When I think back to your second birthday, you were still very much my baby girl. Full of cuteness and sass, you were happy to go along with what I suggested we do, you wear, we eat and life was a whole lot simpler. As the year has gone on, you’ve developed your own personality, likes, dislikes and you are now very much your own little person as opposed to just my baby girl. That said three itself isn’t all that scary, you’ll still be at home with me, you’ll still sit band cuddle me all afternoon and you’ll still be my little girl. But three is so much closer to four, and four is the age when you’ll leave me for most of the week to go out and learn about the world for yourself. Four is a big deal and so it’s that that i’m scared of.
As my first born I feel like we’re learning the ropes together you and I. You introduced me to the world of motherhood and made me understand how its possible to love another human beyond everything I ever dreamt possible before. On the one hand I can’t believe three years have passed already, but on the other I feel like I’ve always been your Mummy, you’re so much a part of who I am, I really cant imagine a time when I didn’t know you.
This morning we woke up at 4.00am! You wanted Gran Gran but I said it was too early to wake her up, so we went next door into your room in the little Nest we are staying in and we had another hours sleep on the top bunk of your bunk beds. At around 5.30am there really was no holding you back and you wanted to go down stairs. Gran Gran heard us as we were wrestling with the stair gate so we all went down together to see your birthday surprise! 🙂
Decorations from : fancydressworldwide third birthday letter
You got lots of lovely presents and had lot of fun opening them and seeing what each one did. When you got your new dress you wanted to try it on straight away and then when you opened your fairy costume we had to change in to that too. You’re such a girly girl. You really love dressing up, putting your make up on and getting your hair done.
After we’d opened all the presents we all sang happy birthday while you blew out the candles, but you remembered you hadn’t made a wish so we promised to do it again later. We got dressed and went for a walk with Daddy and Ollie. I asked you what it was like being 3 and you replied that it was very tiring and that you wanted a nap so we came home so you could chill. On the way we seen some children playing at the swings and you joked saying they were on your swings (because we had played there the night before). I called them cheeky and you said ‘you cant say that about people Mummy that’s rude!’ … you are so clever. The things you come out with are so funny! The other day we were talking about driving to cumbria and you said you wanted to stop and have a snack ‘on the roof’ like Tig (your favourite programme at the moment). I pondered for a minute and realised that you actually meant ‘en route’. When we chuckled you got offended and said ‘stop laughing’ so we just played along and carried on saying on the roof. I’m sure you will realise what the right word is in your own time.
After lunch we went into Bowness to watch the Peter Rabbit show and it was lovely. You slept the whole way so were a little tired when we went in, but as soon as the actors came on stage with the puppets your little face lit up. You really don’t like foxes and kept saying you hoped Mr Todd wasn’t there so I was worried when he came on stage, but you seemed happy and it was lovely having you all snuggle up on my knee watching it (although you did sit on Gran Grans knee for a bit too while I had Ollie). third birthday letter
After the show we had a walk around the Experience to see all the little characters and you liked pretending to do the washing with Mrs Tiggywinkle, then we went out and had Afternoon Tea with Peter Rabbit. The ladies knew it was your birthday and made you stand at the front with Peter while everyone sand happy birthday to you. When you got back to the table you said ‘I think everybody knows my name’. You are so unbelievably cute sometimes I just want to eat you up!
Afternoon tea was lovely because it was like having a little tea party with lots of cake. When we got back to the Nests, you really wanted to go swimming and wear your new cherry swimming costume (you’ve been talking about it none stop since we got here) So Daddy and I left Ollie with gran Gran and we popped over to the pool at the hotel. We carried on trying to teach you how to swim like we did at Centre Parcs and encouraged you to jump in the water from the side of the pool. Your confidence is growing all the time and i’m so proud of you for that, but you’re still very cautious. It was nice spending time just the three of us because we never get chance to devote all of our attention to just you, but we all agreed it would be boring if we didn’t have Ollie to keep us entertained so it was nice to get back and see him. third birthday letter
Ettie’s Fairy Costume & Ollie’s Penguin Costume from: fancydressworldwide
At bed time we snuggled up and you told me you’d loved your birthday which is just what I wanted to hear. I love you so much my Ettie Willow and I feel so privileged when all you want to do is give me a hug. You have this thing at the moment where you like falling asleep in the nook of my arm, I suppose you have always fallen asleep giving me a cuddle, so perhaps nothing has changed other than the fact you now have the words to be able to ask me to put your arm round you. But I love the fact that that is where you want to be. We have spent ages worrying about whether we were doing the right thing by letting you sleep with us, but its been three years now and I honestly couldn’t imagine it any other way. The other day you asked me if you were too old to sleep in Mummy and Daddy’s bed and my heart sank a little bit. I actually dread the day when you don’t want to pop into for a cuddle because I know that day will come, and so I just said ‘you can sleep with us for as long as you want to, but you need to fall asleep in your own bed because thats what big girls do’. From now on I’m just going to enjoy the cuddles and not worry about it. Like I said we are both learning from each other, but that is something I’m very happy we kept up (against the advice of the odd health visitor). third birthday letter
Happy Birthday my beautiful girl who still never sleeps with her legs under the duvet, who’d do anything for ice cream (and chocolate) and who understands sarcasm so well, sometimes I think you’re the grown up (you’ve even started to remind me to lock the door and things when we go out!) You’re personality grows beyond bounds each and every and on the one hand I love that you know what you like and have an opinion, but when you want to wear leggings that are too short and a jumper to the beach when its 25 degrees outside, those days can be pretty stressful. I worried at first that your personally changed because Ollie came along and you wanted more attention, but actually I think thats just what happens when little girls turn two. You’ve taken to the role of big sister so well, I couldn’t be prouder of the relationship you have, so while it’s been hard, I’m really happy he came along when he did.
You’re beautiful, confident, hilarious, loving and kind. I cant believe my luck every single day when I think that you’re my daughter and I hope more than anything that we stay as close as we are now forever. My best friend in the whole world my little Ettie. Daddy, Ollie and I love you more than you could ever imagine and i’m so glad you had a nice day xxxxx
third birthday letter
