Dear Paea,
Today, October 15th, is your birthday. You’re turning 3 years old. It’s amazing how time seems to fly by and you keep growing and growing into such a beautiful little lady. Your birthday made me think of you and the time we shared together, so I thought I would gather some photos and try to relive those moments. There are some moments that were captured in images and we can look at them as many times as we want to. But there are moments that only live in our memory, they are stored in the corners of our minds and hearts and we can treasure them forever.
I remember the day your mom and you picked me up at the airport, I felt so nervous. You smiled at me the second you saw me. That smile is locked in my mind and I can see it every time I want. I also remember singing to you every night. I used to sing to you in Spanish, and you seemed to get dreamy with a lullaby called ”Arrorró”. Sometimes you would sing along.
I remember the delicious cake your mom baked exactly one year ago for your second birthday. And I remember how you could not care less about spoons, forks, plates or napkins… and you had your piece your own way…
I remember your button nose…
and your plump lips!
I remember going around the many corners of the garden together and finding things to play with. Peek-a-boo never grew old…
I remember you loved going to the skate park, obviously not to skate or ride your bike, but to go up the ramp. You tried harder and harder each time we went there… Walking, running, crawling. You never gave up, and it took a lot of days for you to make it…
When you made it all the way up, you were happy to help others get there as well…
I remember teaching you how to count in Spanish. Your favorite number was always ‘ocho’.
I remember how girly you are, how much you like pink, handbags and accessories. You liked choosing your own outfits, and this was the one you once picked to go get groceries. Such a unique style and such a strong attitude to pull it off!
I remember your smile and the sound of your laughter so vividly…
I remember seeing you grab pencils and markers and trying to draw in every possible way…
and I was happy to see how you learned -little by little- to grab them properly…
I remember trying new hair styles on you all the time. Your hair was short, thin and silky, and it was not always easy to do something fast. But that was not a problem, you would sit still and patiently wait for me to finish. Then you always had a big smile when you stood in front of the mirror. You always said you looked like a princess…
I remember how you used to sneak out to the outdoor shower and experimented with the shampoo bottle. There was something about the bubbles that kept dragging you back there…
I remember how you always looked so big, yet you were so little…
I remember you once got sick, you were coughing all day, you could hardly speak, your temperature was up and down, and you would just cry all day. You got loads of cuddles those days, and one of the things that relaxed you the most was taking outdoor naps, comfy on the bean bag, under the breeze of the trees, and Antoine never left your side…
We stayed at home for a few days, since it took quite a while for you to get better. Once you were ready to go out again, we went to a park near the beach, you enjoyed getting on the swings again and we read a story before your nap time…
I remember going to the beach and you would play with sand for hours, feeling the texture, drawing on it and making mountains…
I remember I would often come up with ideas to make photos, and you were always happy to participate…
I remember teaching you how to swim. You learned so much every day and it was amazing to see how good you did considering your young age. I was a bit scared of how you were not scared of the water at all, since you used to just jump in without giving any notice. You used to love being called a mermaid…
I remember I once had the brilliant idea of giving you some yoghurt when we were in the car. Well, it turned out to be messy and funny…
I remember the light in your eyes…
I remember enjoying the low tide at Hearson’s Cove. We could run around and play with the sand. And we often had the entire beach for ourselves…
I remember how you would pout when you didn’t get what you wanted…
I remember a VERY hot day. We had dropped the boys at school and started our way back home. The heat was something like I had never experienced before. We went somewhere next to the skate park because I knew there were taps and showers there. We just stayed under the water for so long… and it felt so nice…
I remember how much your angry face made me laugh…
I remember your unique way of playing the harmonica…
I remember you were crazy about sprinkles of water when you were on the swing…
I remember just how beautiful you are…
I remember how much your mom loves you, how she cares about you, how she gives you the best she can, and just how amazing she is with you…
I remember there was a tree by the pirate park that we used to go to all the time. Sometimes we just liked the breeze, cooling the air from a hot day. Sometimes we would take a book from the Library and read it under it. Sometimes I would help you climb it. You loved it. We loved it…
I remember I once told you we could go feed the seagulls by the beach. You said you didn’t want to because they were scary and could bite you. We went anyway, I fed them and you were looking from the car. As you saw me doing it and being surrounded by them and being safe, you asked me if you could come with me and help me. At first you held my hand, but it took a minute for you to get confident and do it all by yourself. Such a brave little girl…
I remember how you love swings. I mean, my oh my, you love swings! I always loved how you would put your toes up high…
I remember the little line between your nostrils…
Mostly, I remember us. I remember what being together felt like….
I remember so many things about you and so many moments that we shared! I hope we can meet again soon… I wish you a fantastic birthday full of hugs, smiles and tickles! I love you, Paea!
Tammy
