My oldest daughter turns 5 today.  I am dealing with it surprisingly well.  There have been no tears, no opening of old picture albums and pouring over the photos of days gone by.  No snuggling her tight wishing I could squish her smaller.

I have been very good.

But then, she is still asleep…

I remember people telling me that childhood would pass us by faster than we could ever possibly imagine.  That we would wake up one day with grown children shocked and amazed that we are old enough to have grown children.  I did not believe them, really.

Surely it does not go so fast that I would not even remember certain times.  Or that I would forget special moments I thought were engrained in my brain forever!  How is that even possible?  This is my baby, after all!

But, I have learned that life does move very fast.  The speed more evident now that I am raising children.

Sentences like, “We just had her!”, “She just learned to walk.”, “It was just her first day of preschool.” escape my lips now.  Memories I thought were so permanent are now stamped on my brain in the form of the photographs we took.  And as she grows, so does my knowledge that time is, indeed, lightening speed.

Happy birthday to my beautiful daughter.  You are the dream I used to pray for, the creator of new experiences for me, and the amazing reminder that not only is there a God, He is a very good God.

I have loved your first 5 years.  Your smiles, your laughter, your small tears that escaped for me to wipe away.  I have watched you grow into a wonderful little girl, full if life and creativity, and I have felt the love in my heart for you grow just as quickly.

You are my first born.  My first experience with pure love and my first reminder that, no matter what happens in my life, yours will always be a precious memory I rely on for strength.

Happy Birthday my sweet, spunky, determined, kind, amazing daughter.

And thank you for everything your life has added to mine!

Oh where are those darned tissues?