Dear, Sweet, Little Bridget,
I often feel a whole new type of parenting guilt when it comes to you.
You don’t get to stay asleep when we need to get Dexter to school. Your afternoon naps are arranged around taking Paisley to preschool. Your toys and clothes and almost everything you have are hand me downs – you rarely have anything new. And on top of that, all of your firsts are things I’ve seen before. I’ve seen two others before you learn to crawl and walk and eat and talk.
But please know that just because I’ve seen these developments before, it doesn’t make them any less special. In fact, with you, they are perhaps more special – because your firsts are my lasts. Watching you learn to walk was the last time I will see one of my babies learn to stand on their own two feet. Hearing you discover new words is the last time I will feel excited about future conversations.
Both Dexter and Paisley started preschool as soon as they turned 2 years old and with you being our last, I’m glad that we have changed to a preschool that doesn’t take children this young. I can’t quite imagine letting my last child go just yet. You’re still my baby girl!
I often gush about you to people and say what a model child you are – Dexter and Paisley, of course, are both wonderful and I love them dearly – but you are the only one that willingly eats vegetables and then asks for more. You are the only one that actively tidies up and enjoys it. You are excited for bedtime and love your afternoon naps – sometimes I think you’re slightly abnormal for all of these reasons – but I wouldn’t change you for the world.
I wonder what sort of person you’ll be as you grow up. Right now you watch what your siblings watch on TV, you go by everyone else’s schedules, you don’t protest about anything I dress you in, you’re very chilled and go with the flow so it’s hard to see who you’ll be. But I’m excited to find out.
You’re starting to speak so many words. In fact, you come out with a new thing to say every day and it’s amazing to listen to. You LOVE being chased and often grab my phone and run down the hallway giggling. I think you’re going to be a bit of a minx!
You like to carry around drink bottles, If I give you a biscuit or something to eat, you always hold your other hand out for more for Pais – and sometimes you even give it to her. You absolutely LOVE the basket swing and you seem genuinely concerned when others are sad.
You’re such a sweet and caring little lady, Didge. Calm and affectionate, chilled and forgiving. This year, you’ll really come into your own when you can learn to speak sentences and with Paisley out of the house, you’ll start to form your own opinions. I wonder who you’ll be.
Bridget, we love you billions.
Love Mummy
x
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