Dear Maddie

My sweetest Maddie,

  Every morning I wake up to you,

 quietly staring at me, 

big eyes peeking up over the side of the mattress,

a sleepy smile in your voice.

"Hey Mom!  Guess what!"

"What?!?"

"I LOVE you!"

Forget Folgers....

It's definitely the best way to wake up...

This summer you turned four...FOUR.  

You're a little girl now,

but in so many ways you're still a baby.  

It's hard for me, this in-between stage.

Trying to figure out how to guide you into independence, 

but still understanding that sometimes you need to be my baby.

I know this will never change, sometimes all I need is my mommy too.  

Being a mother to a daughter is hard.  

You'll know this someday.

I know there will be times that I'll want to protect you,

I also know that you'll have to experience things for yourself.

But I PROMISE that I will always be there when you need a hug...

or an "I love you"

"I'll love you forever, 

I'll like you for always

As long as I'm living

My baby you'll be"*

*Robert Munsch:  Love you Forever...The first book I read to Maddie 

**Don't read this book immediately postpartum, you'll bawl like a baby.