Dear Ella,
It’s barely been a month since your eighth birthday and I feel like you’ve changed so much already. I can see so much growth in such a short period of time.
Second grade is hard, but you are thriving. I am so impressed with your knowledge and your enthusiasm for learning. You rarely complain about homework and you will give up anything to squeeze in extra reading time. We have to fill out a daily reading chart to show how many much you are reading independently. The maximum number of minutes on the chart is sixty, so naturally your goal is to read at least that many minutes each day. You read at Gran’s in the afternoon before I pick you up. You read at night while you’re waiting on dinner. You read by flashlight long after you’re supposed to be asleep. On Saturday mornings, you’ll even read for hours before you ever leave your bedroom. As a mama who loves books, nothing makes me happier than to see you lost in a story.
Your elementary school started a running club this year and you decided to join. You missed the first week because of a field trip and last week it rained, but I have a feeling that you’ll love it once your feet hit the pavement that first morning. You’ll be training to run a marathon over the course of the next sixteen weeks. The final mile will be run downtown, the day before my half-marathon. There is a part of me that hopes you love to run as much as I do. I’m so excited to help you train and to watch you cross the finish line.
Dance classes have been in full swing for almost two full months now. You don’t get very much time off during the summer, but you are still so enthusiastic when it’s time to return. Your group moved up a level this year and we knew that would mean an adjustment for you all. Not only are you taking the same four classes as before, but you have a conditioning class this year. For the first six weeks of the season, I arrived at the studio to find you in tears. You were convinced you were sick every day, but you were just sore and exhausted from working so hard. I continued to encourage you and remind you how much stronger you were getting and through the tears, you kept saying you wanted to be there. I cannot believe how much you have changed already. Anyone can look at your legs and tell you spend hours on your toes. I try to “check in” with you every once in awhile to make sure you are happy and that our sacrifice of time and money is worth it. I am always convinced that you are in love with dance and it makes me happy to see your face light up when we talk about it. Last week, I had an opportunity to talk with your teacher and she told me how proud she was of your improvement. She said she couldn’t believe you were the same girl who danced for her in June.
I know I tell you this all the time, but you really do have the best laugh ever. Your daddy and your sister are both precious and hilarious, but nobody holds a candle to your joy. When you find something really funny, your eyes well up with tears and your voice gets deep and you can’t control the sounds that come out. Your laugh commands the room and I hope you are never embarrassed by that.
Thank you for letting me call you Belly Button, even if you roll your eyes sometimes.
I’m sorry that you think I always say no to everything. I’m working on it.
Yes, you can watch The Voice with me tonight, but only if you remember what I said about “grown up words” and “situational appropriateness”. You’re welcome.
Love,
Mom
