My dearest third child,
First and foremost, I want you to know that your dad and I love you very much. You are an amazing little girl and we love everything about you. In all honesty, our lives have been turned completely upside down since you were born, but we would never, ever have it any other way. You bring joy to our lives that we never thought was possible.
That being said, I think we owe you an apology for a few things. Being that you are the third child, and last in line, I know we don’t do everything quite like we did with the first two. It’s not intentional, of course, but rather, it’s just the way things go with the chaotic freak show that we call our lives.
So with that, here we go …
I’m sorry there are not nearly as many professional photos of your infancy.
Things were busy. I did the best I could.
I’m sorry we sometimes forgot to change your diaper.
You didn’t complain; must not have been too bad!
I’m sorry that my response to anyone that asked for gift ideas for you was: “She doesn’t need anything! We have way too many toys already!”
I truly hope you didn’t miss out on the latest and greatest thing because I told everyone all you needed was clothes.
I’m sorry I let you eat dirt, sand, and sometimes chew on the occasional rock.
There are three of you, and only one of me — and truthfully, sometimes I just wasn’t quick enough to grab the latest gross thing you wanted to put in your mouth. But hey, you survived!
I’m sorry the house was not clean as for you.
There were crumbs, hair, toys, clothes, used Kleenex, band aid wrappers, and a million other things all over the floor. (It’s hard to keep up with three tornadoes!)
I’m sorry you never experienced the sweet sound of silence.
I hope that someday you will. It is glorious.
I’m sorry we didn’t write down all your milestones.
I truthfully have no idea when you started walking, or when you said your first word. It’s not that it wasn’t as important, but I simply had so much going on that I didn’t write it down.
I’m sorry that I regularly called you by the wrong name.
Three kids, a dog, and a cat is too confusing for my old brain.
I’m sorry you don’t know what it is like to be on time for anything.
It’s damn near impossible to get out of the house in under 30 minutes with three kids. One day maybe you’ll understand.
I’m sorry we didn’t baby-proof the house as diligently for you.
Thanks to those darn LEGOs and Shopkins your brother and sister are obsessed with, I literally can’t keep on top of all the choking hazards.
And finally…
I’m sorry you have basically been fending for yourself since you could walk.
But hey, look on the bright side: You have excellent survival skills!
The truth is, we may have let a few things slip through the cracks in the midst of the craziness of life, but that doesn’t change the fact that we love you more than words can say. You are our strong, sassy, spunky baby girl, and our family wouldn’t be complete without you.
Love,
Mom (& Dad)