Kindergarten

Every day Nina comes home from school and tells us about what she did there. When she wakes up, she's smiling or singing or talking to Molly the Dog before we get ready for school. When she goes to sleep, she's smiling and snugly and trying to get me to sleep in bed with her. We read a lot of books before bed. She has so many that I think I need to build a book shelf in her bedroom! Every day, Nina learns new things and every day she experiences new adventures. Every day she is growing more and more and before my very eyes, she's becoming her own little person.

Nina has this incredible ability to make people happy. If you're on antidepressants, no need. Just spend a couple of weeks with this little gal and you'll be rejuvenated. She's happy, she's caring, she's loving, she's funny, and she would take the tiny shirt off of her tiny back to give to you if you were cold. Of course it would probably only cover a part of your arm, but nonetheless, she would give it if it made you just a little bit warmer. I like to think of Nina as the sun. She's the center of my universe. I know there are an infinite amount of possibilities of where and what the center of the universe is, but the sun is the brightest. She is the brightest star in my world.

This morning when Nina woke up for school, I heard her talking to Molly the Dog. She was snuggling on her (I know because she's always hanging on Molly and Molly savors every moment) and telling her how much she loves her. She talks in this sweet, little protective Mom voice. One day she told her, "I don't care if you ever do anything bad Molly, I will always love you and forgive you." I feel like this will be the case with people in her life as well. If Nina truly loves someone, she won't care what they have done... she will always love them. And if that is the case, she will have taken after her Mother and while it is a beautiful sentiment, it is a blessing and a curse. I'm quickly approaching thirty years old and I have only begun to learn who is worth keeping in my life and who is not. I hope she is wiser than me in that aspect. I believe it will save her from a lot of heart ache. But maybe she will just be stronger than me instead. I like to think it's the latter.

They made me the classroom Mom for Nina's class. I've gotten to know Nina's teacher, some of her friends, some parents, and the school staff. I'm very grateful to be a part of this and to be a part of her childhood memories in this way. Hey, maybe next year I'll trade my Civic Si in for a minivan (barf). But seriously though, I've actually considered it. I cart most of the kids around as it is anyway. ;)

Nina has a school dance coming up. Yeah I know. A school dance in Kindergarten.... weird. She's dressing up as Elsa from Frozen as is her friend Danielle and I'm sure every other little girl in school. But she's going to be the most beautiful Elsa because she's just that beautiful inside and out. <3 I am helping to decorate and chaperoning it and also chaperoning her school trip and also doing the Halloween craft with her class. Ha. I've got my plate full of Nina and I couldn't be happier with how full it is.

She comes home from school and talks about her friends and what they talk about and what they laugh about and it fills my heart with the most happiness I have ever felt. I thank the universe every day that Nina chose me to be her Mother. She is my sun, my moon, my stars.

I love you Nina Marie

Love,
Mom