Seven Quick Takes for Sunshine’s 4th Birthday (Vol. 11)

Today is Sunshine’s 4th birthday.  Even though she’s been talking about this for the past several months, I’m still wondering how she got so old so fast.  Was it really four years ago today that I held her for the first time?  That seems both so long ago and yet not so long ago.

— 1 —

While we were engaged, my husband sometimes joked about having a “honeymoon baby.”  I told him to watch what he wished for.  Guess I should have told him that more often.  Maybe you can’t blame our families and friends for being surprised when we told them, just a month after the wedding (we couldn’t wait for the usual first trimester announcement) that we were expecting.  My mom said, “I’m too young to be a grandma!”

— 2 —

Sunshine has always been our social butterfly.  I think she gets that from her dad, though sometimes we blame it on the fact that we took her to church when she was a week old.  The entire youth group (whom my husband and I helped lead) wanted to hold her.  Being the girl who’d always held everyone else’s babies at church, I said yes.  Being the protective first-time dad, my husband said no.  Sunshine never played shy with anyone.

When we moved to northern Alberta, we joked she made friends faster than we did.  We’d be introducing ourselves to someone and have to say, “Oh, and we have a daughter… she’s… uh, just over there with that grandma.”

— 3 —

— 4 —

Sunshine enjoys being a big sister.  Yesterday, for example, she came downstairs to ask Daddy for help because she couldn’t get the diaper back on Lily.  He went upstairs to find the poopy diaper in the garbage already and Lily running around half-naked.  We’ve also had to tell Sunshine she’s not allowed to help her little sister into the high chair.  She often chooses clothes for Lily to wear and encourages Lily to go potty while she’s going potty.  If we are out walking, they like to hold hands, earning them smiles from any passersby.

— 5 —

Sunshine is quite proud of the fact that she’s a “big girl” who can go to school like Mommy and Daddy.  Before she started preschool, one of her favourite games was to pack a pencil and a notepad into a bag or a purse, then to tell me, “Goodbye, Mommy, I’m going to school.”  She’d then walk down the hallway to the door, turn around and walk back and say, “I’m home again!”  My job was to say “goodbye” and “hello!  How was your day?”  Preschool is the highlight of her week.

— 6 —

I had this idea, before Sunshine was born, that motherhood wouldn’t be too hard because I had lots of babysitting experience and knew how to change diapers and take care of kids.  It didn’t take very long for that idea to fade away.  Motherhood has been a journey in which I learn as many new things as Sunshine does.  Being a mom has the incredible highs of loving this unique little person and the incredible challenges of giving so much more of myself than I could have ever imagined.

— 7 —

Sunshine is, as most of you know, the nickname I use for my oldest daughter on my blog.  Like many mommy bloggers, I’ve tried to protect the privacy of my family by not using their names or pictures online.  My husband chose Sunshine’s nickname as a play on her middle name, but I like it just for it’s meaning.  In so many ways, she is my sunshine.  She makes me smile and laugh and brightens my day.  I’m so grateful to God for bringing her into my life.

So happy 4th birthday, Sunshine!