Charlotte
Charlotte was born at 2:16 in the afternoon on Wednesday December 14, 2004. She was about a month old on the day we blessed her (January 15th) and on that day I remember having a distinct feeling that I was holding a very special daughter of God and I had a sense of the strength of her spirit.
Charlotte is a treasure and a joy to me. I love her more than I can say. I feel a special connection to her at times that is beyond what words can describe. There are times that her tender hugs lift my spirit and give me strength.
I love how she regularly tells me "I’m Charlotte." It’s as if she’s saying "I’m me and I love it and I wouldn’t be anyone else even if I had a choice."
I love how tender and kind she is to her baby sister, Nicole (I regularly catch her talking sweetly to Nicole or giving her a hug or a toy. She loves to sit behind Nicole and put her arms around her. Nicole smiles when she sees her big sister).
I love how she says her prayers at night and thanks her father in heaven for everyone’s bed and looks around with squinted eyes to see what else she can be thankful for.
I love the way she says "itsy bitsy spider" so it sounds like "whittsy, whittsy spider" or the way she says "lashclof" when asking for a washcloth.
I love it when she just says "mom, I love you" at random unprovoked times during the day.
I love how proudly she tells me that we match because we are both girls and that she will be a mommy when she gets big.
I love how she talks about everything she sees sometimes, pointing out the color of our shirts or what we are eating for dinner.
I love these and so many more things about my little Charlotte, but mostly I am grateful that she is my little girl and I get to love her everyday for the rest of my life and beyond.