There was a little girl....

 
Kyrie was a darling baby! I'm sure that she must have fussed and cried like any other baby, but I simply don't remember it. What I remember is how much she smiled and laughed. She was a pure delight! And then somewhere around 18 months, my darling girl started to show a ferocious independence. Suddenly, our baby had the emotion and conviction of a tiny teen diva.
The past eighteen months has not always been easy as our fiery, Aries girl pushed against her fiery, Aries parents. Independence for Kyrie has often meant howling at the top of her lungs, "I just want to do what I want to do." And what Kyrie wants to do hasn't always fit in with what Mommy and Daddy want her to do- surprise, surprise. We've had some wild times with our darling girl: tantrums and tears and messes and timeouts. And as her parents, we take responsibility for our too high expectations. She walked so early and has spoken so clearly that we often haven't take into account how young she was/is. We're all new at this, and so we've had to muddle and claw and run and crawl our way through these first four years.

BUT as we approach Kyrie's fourth birthday, glimpses of that good-natured, mild-mannered and happy child have returned like sunshine after storm. Of course, we have always known (or at least hoped) that she was in there, but lately this lovely girl has decided to stick around. She still holds firm to her "I just want to do what I want to do" stance, but it comes out a little more sweetly than before. The words please, thank you and I'm sorry fall more easily from her lips and with a sincerity that wasn't always there. Sharing, especially with her little brother remains a challenge, but she loves him. That's evident in the silly faces she makes to fend off his tears and her insistence on carrying him around the house to show him her latest discovery.
Her sense of humor, her imagination, the sweetest words falling from her lips, her small arms wrapping around us in embrace... we're cherishing all of these because childhood passes quickly and being a teenager is never easy for children or parents.We'll need to remember that somewhere inside is always this darling and lovely girl who at times is very, very good though at times she may seem horrid. Kyrie, my darling girl, we love you beyond measure!