Happy 4th Birthday Reya!

My baby girl. You started school this month! I. Can’t. Even.

I remember when you were just a year old and Mylo was in Pre-K. You would accompany me to his school to pick him up. Never did I stop to think you could be in that classroom too, with those same teachers. One because we weren’t sure we were going to stay in Brooklyn three years ago but more so because I could not even conceive of my little girl growing up!

You are every bit a little girl who is 3 going on 4 – NOT 4 going on 14 – which is awesome. I know how sassy it’s going to get so I’m happy to keep you my little girl while I can.

I digress. Here I am talking about September when there was a whole year of growth that just went by…

The biggest thing that happened this past year is you began to speak more. Even though you understood everything that we said, you only had about 20 or 30 words in your vocabulary until the time you turned three. I was never worried you wouldn’t speak but the delay and your ability to socialize with other children in school is what did have me concerned at one time.

In public and with new people, you are still painfully shy and utterly reserved. However at home, you’re a hurricane-force to be reckoned with. You don’t listen very well and when you make up your mind, you’ve made up your mind. There’s very little room for negotiation with you.

For Halloween last year you were Super Girl.

However last year you discovered and fell in love with Peppa Pig, so that’s what you got for Christmas. A Peppa toothbrush, Peppa car, Peppa playhouse, Peppa backpack. We Peppa’d you out!

You also (finally) took to watching your iPad. Prior to this past year, we couldn’t get you to sit in front of a screen for more than a few minutes which is the complete opposite of your brother. You’re still not a big fan of the big screen but you’ll at least engage your iPad more regularly now.

When we go to the park (and we go to lots of them), you mostly keep to yourself (or hang on me). Sometimes I worry or get sad that you don’t want to play with the other kids, but I remind myself that you are who you are. You’re not me, nor are you your brother and I need to let you unfold at your own speed.

You favorite color is pink, you still love playing with your dolls the most and you also enjoy organizing (then destroying) your toys. I can’t help but think you get this from me — the organizational part that is!

Before school ended in June you did six weeks of private swim lessons at the YMCA and boy did you need it. Ever since we had a little oops at a water park in Florida when you were two, you’ve shown a lot of trepidation in water. I worried that you’d just want to be held in the pool by the instructor the entire time, but it turned out you only wanted that part of the time, lol. For the most part she challenged you to trust yourself and float and you were great at doing it.

You graduated from preschool in June and you were totally into the singing portion of your graduation. Sometimes you surprise me — exactly when I expect you to clam up and get shy, you don’t! You crushed it on this day.

At the start of the summer right before the 4th of July your cousins came to visit from Singapore and we spent some time with them at Ganga and Sidi’s house in Northport. You went to your first Mets game and you got in a lot of park action together. Despite only seeing them once a year, you always have the best time with them!

You spent the entire summer in camp, which I also worried about. The only thing reassuring about sending my baby to camp was that your big brother and his friend Kody looked out for you, otherwise I was scared the experience would swallow you whole and again, you crushed it. You did six weeks of camp in Brooklyn and two weeks of camp on the lake in New Fairfield at Goomah’s house.

Right before school started we took a family vacay to an all-inclusive resort in Punta Cana. You were the absolute cutest there. You slept in a cot wedged between my bed and the balcony that lead to views and sounds of the ocean. You loved that you had your own little bed. You spent the bulk of the day in the pool inside a little tube that we bought at the gift shop. You were happy to float and splash and just be. You seemed to really get vacation mode.

For your 4th birthday we had our closest friends over to our home in Brooklyn and a face painter came. You got your face painted as a cat and sure enough all the other girls followed suit!

You are my sweet, cuddly and fierce child and I am beyond honored to be your mom. Happy Birthday Schmorgie!