Piper the Birthday Girl

Piper spent her birthday proudly proclaiming "I'm the birthday girl!"

Three years of age! It is such a small amount of time to be on the earth. Three years seems like nothing to me at my age. I look back and think how fast three years go. And yet for this little being, three years is a whole life. And how fast this little one has become an integral part of our world. I can't imagine life without Piper and yet so much of my life occurred without her. But she's now a part of our hearts and our souls.

I remember when I found I was pregnant with this one. It was a shock (as much a shock as two consenting, knowledgeable adults can have), and it was a moment that changed our world in many ways. I was unhappy at my job...things were going downhill in many ways. H was about to finish his BA and we were uncertain about where to head next. I knew that I couldn't continue teaching high school. Piper's immanent arrival was a key factor in moving us to grad. school. I knew there was no way that we could afford daycare for three, and yet we really couldn't afford for me to stay home either.

Really Piper propelled us into grad. school. I took my GREs pregnant with her. I applied pregnant with her. I took care of loans, financial aid, etc with this passenger aboard. And I wrote papers nursing my wee baby, read theory books bouncing her on my lap.

And now she's a little girl as we are about to finish up this chapter of our lives.

So this year stats:

Favorite music: Morrissey and "the ABC guys" (They Might Be Giants).

Favorite movie: Land Before Times and My Little Ponies

Favorite past times: Playing dress up, playing "real" and dancing.

Despite entering the whiny year as I call it, Piper is a happy kid. Her joy and laughter are contagious. They move us from our gloomy spots, and have us all dancing on the rug. She does respond to music in ways the other two don't. She just loves it. She's a great animal love but she's nervous around them. She's grown into her beauty in ways unexpected. So far Piper seems to look like me but acts like Horacio.

Birthday photos here.