A letter to the birthday girl

I started this letter on Sunday night but our wireless was wonky and then it was wonky again on Monday night and then Tuesday night we had volleyball so here it is Valentine's Day and Reina's annual birthday letter Day.  
 

Dear Reina:

Yesterday, you celebrated your 9^th birthday.  Nine years ago this morning, I woke up, dropped your brother off at daycare and drove to the hospital with Dad and your two Grandmas.  After a few hours delay, we welcomed you into the world and my life hasn’t been the same since.  All weekend, I’ve been struck by the thought that in nine more years, we’ll be celebrating your 18th birthday.  But let’s not go there yet, okay? 

On the morning of your birthday, you came busting in our room at 6:30 and announced that you could get up now because Dad said you had to wait until 6:30 and it was 6:30 and let’s open presents!  I told you to go get my phone and bought myself a few more minutes reading you previous letters I’d written to you on your birthday.  Unfortunately, I couldn’t talk you into going back to sleep.  We all

got up, you opened your presents and we headed off to a birthday breakfast.  I hope on your 18^th birthday, I can read all of these letters without bawling my head off, sweet girl. 

Reina, you are such a delight. There’s really no other word. You firmly march to the beat of your drum and you surprise me every day with some funny comment, interesting observation or fashion choice. You have a wide variety of interests. At school, you’ve read books about everything from Anne Frank to the Loch Ness Monster to cartoon cats from Japan. You like cartoons, murder mysteries, wildlife documentaries (as long as none of the animals die) and are developing a slight interest in chic flicks on the Hallmark Channel. (I blame/credit Grandma H for that one.)

Reina - you fill up my camera with Reina selfies like this one.  

Marching to the beat of your own drum in these snazzy purple glitter boots you tried to talk me into at Target. Instead of tennis shoes.....  

You are a good little sister and big cousin. Your patience for your little cousins is a little more endless than the patience for your brother but that's probably how it should be.  You and Will have invented your own game involving a balloon, the rug in the living room and a complicated scoring system that seems to usually benefit Will but you don't mind and your giggles fill up the house, along with the sounds of breakable stuff hitting the floor.  

A few weeks ago, you woke up on a school morning a little earlier than usual and came running in to get me to wake up and look at the moon.  You said it was amazing!  I tried to buy a few more minutes of sleep by suggesting that you get my phone and take some pictures.  You took about 10 of these shots before you came back to get me and said that I needed to see it in person.  Reina, I hope you never lose that unbridled enthusiasm for weekday morning moon sightings and everything else that appears outside your window.  Happy birthday sweet girl, you are so loved.  

The Moon by Reina