An Open Letter to My Daughter on Her 5th Birthday

Bianca Nicole—

We were at a local shop the other day, a shop where I know the owner, and you were wearing one of your very you outfits: your bright green soccer team shirt tied on the side with a pink scrunchie from your game that morning, cheetah print bike shorts, rainbow light up shoes, two pigtails and a unicorn mermaid headband.

You were, as you would say, “shy at” the women your Glamma and I were chatting with, so you pushed your body up against my legs. I twirled one of your pigtails around my finger and said, “When I envisioned my daughter, I saw a rainbow glitter explosion in my mind, and she is even better than I imagined she would be.”

Every night before bed, you pick out your outfit for the next day. You mix purple with purple, pink with pink, pink with purple, and sometimes other colors, too. I can’t keep track of your favorite colors because pink and purple are just the first two and then you rattle off so many more, I just keep nodding while you talk.

And you talk a lot—never too much, because everything you say is a beautiful little idea that came out of your perfect little brain. But you, girlfriend, have stories to tell, questions to ask, parents to correct, and a brother to hold accountable.

One of my most favorite things about that sweet little voice is hearing it in the morning.

You are an early riser, and on the weekends when I take my coffee in bed and Harry Potter brings your hair ties for us to throw for him, you crawl in under the covers with us and tell us about the dreams you had and the plans you’re making. You inevitably ask us what day it is and if you have to go to school. You bat your big blue eyes at your dad, grab his dad, and ask, “Kitchen?” As you eat your breakfast on the counter—and help him make his—you tell more stories, and hearing that little voice down the hall never fails to make my heart happy.

I love it. I love you.

I love how smart and curious and capable you are. I love how strong you are in what you believe, what you want, and how you get it. I love your confidence and your favorite songs and watching you play with your friends. I love watching you grow.

Keep talking, gf. Keep exploring, keep questioning, and keep living your truth. Thank you for being even better than I imagined—every day.

Happy birthday, baby B.

I can’t wait to keep celebrating you.

Juicy kisses,

Momma