A Contented, Common Life: A Birthday Letter full of promises to my Sweet Niece

A year ago....

Just one short year...

twelve months

365 days

and our lives our so much the richer

fuller

My world expanded when you entered it... how unbelievable to me that the daughter of my sister would capture my heart in such an amazing special way... not just capture it but put a lock down hold on it.

I love you fiercely.

I love your spitfireness, your big grins, sloppy kisses, and love pats.

I love your funny looks, scrunched up nose and your growls.
I love watching you crawl and will often walk away from you just to see you crawl after me.

I love how even when you haven't seen me in a couple of weeks- you have not forgotten me and how your face lights up and your whole body bounces when you catch sight of me.

Because I know that you love me just as much as I love you.

I love how your mommy will call me for advice and then make fun of me when I constantly wipe your face and hands while you eat.... I love how she was patient with me while I learned your weirdo clipping cloth diapers and didn't say anything... waiting til my back was turned to redo them.

I love how she trusted us to keep you overnight and not spoil you too overly much.

I love how much fun you had staying the night at my house and all the while I couldn't help but think of the future and the abundance of times you will do that again and again.

I am your Auntie but I promise to always love you like a second momma.

I promise to stand beside your parents and raise you with love, lots of hugs, too many kisses and more laughter than you can imagine.

I promise to pray with you and share Jesus with you and show you the incredible, amazing, thereineverysituation friend, protector and confidante He is.

I promise to help teach you and guide you and show you how wonderful life is no matter what our circumstances are.

I promise to hold you when your heart is breaking and let you ugly cry on my shoulder. I promise to let you stay up late, read good books and eat dessert for breakfast sometimes when you visit (but not all the time). I promise to be available to you and come running when you need me. I promise to tickle you out of bad moods, admonish you for pouting and to never give in when you whine.

I promise to laugh at your jokes, come to your special events and cheer the loudest (but I won't do that weird whoop-whoop that Nana does that turns my face red with embarrassment). Speaking of embarrassment- I fully intend to take opportunities to embarrass you... not in situations that would hurt you but to show you how fun and hilarious life is and to never take yourself too seriously. I'll wear the bubba teeth when I take you to the grocery store with your friend and talk weird... Just like I did to your cousin Ms. Books... and while you'll be embarrassed-- you'll secretly love my zaniness- just like she does.

I'll listen to you, offer you my advice- even when you don't want it, cry with you, laugh with you, share with you and celebrate this amazingly wonderful ordinary God blessed life with you.

I will stand alongside your parents to help raise you into the extraordinary godly woman God has plans for you to be. I will help make those plans happen.

I will daily pray fiercely for you, beat on heaven's door for you.

I will always love you with a love you'll never really know until you hold your own child in your hands and even at that moment you will be so overwhelmed you won't catch it all and it will all spill over as your heart swells to the biggest its ever been... and it will continue to be that swollen for the rest of your life...
That's how much I love you.

I love you more than macaroni loves cheese

more than milk loves cookies

more than jelly loves peanut butter