Today is my Violet’s third birthday. It’s a special day, no question, as we’ve been through third birthdays a handful of times before hers and of course, they are all meaningful. I’ve long referred to Violet as my grand finale and she did, in fact, come into the world in true dramatic fashion nearly arriving in the car on the way to the hospital after ensuring we’d wait until her actual due date to meet her. Grand finale she truly is.
There’s something so bittersweet about milestones for a last baby. Each of those milestones are filled with so much emotion and “this is the last time we will ever(s)…”
All of her firsts are my lasts.
As a result, I have tried to be certain that I spend just a little bit longer in the moments taking in the sounds, the smells, the sights… soaking them in.
Violet is a little more snuggly than my others. She is also a little more independent at a younger age than my others. She’s my runner, so she keeps me on my toes. She’s my “do it myself” at a younger age. Having a 14 year age difference between she and Andrew is a literal, visual daily reminder of how quickly time truly goes, so I tend to hold her just a little bit tighter because I know I will blink and she will be grown.
Many years ago, I heard someone say, “No two children are born into the same family,” and it took me a few minutes to truly digest that and realize just how profound it actually is. Think about that for one moment…
No matter what the make up of your family, this is so very true.
Violet gets the benefit of learning from 5 other people in her family on a daily basis. She learned to nap in the car on the way to rehearsals, in between school pick ups, doctor appointments. She is what my husband calls the family “hype man.” She is all of her siblings biggest fans–she marches right along with her brother, she wants to run with her biggest sister, and she does all of Lily’s cheers right along with her. She thinks her daddy hung the moon. She loves her people. Her attitude is bright, funny, helpful, loving, and sometimes a little mischievous, but she is by no means lost in our big family.
