So, I took a break and looked at my two previous birthday posts. In 2006, I ended my post like this:

You see, I started this blog as the tale of Charlotte’s journey to being a
regular kid. Well, guess what? She is a regular kid. She’s just a regular kid
with a tube in her belly. But that tube helps her be regular, helps her grow,
helps her be on the growth chart (finally), and helps her get the nutrition she
needs to develop normally. She’s pulling up, starting to cruise, babbling silly
sounds. She likes to drink water from an open cup and eat salty, crunchy food
(no doubt that she’s my kid!).She has this impish little grin that tells you
she’s up to no good.

And so, I will begin there as well. At three, Charlotte is a regular kid with a tube in her belly. But the thing is, we haven’t used the tube since December and we’re really, really hopeful that the tube will be gone by her fourth birthday. She’s currently in the 90th or 95th percentile for height/weight (about 33 lbs. and at least 40 inches). She still likes crunchy foods, but she has a true love of chocolate. She runs–all the time–and can finnally jump, too. She’s still impish, but now she tests her limits. All the time.

Most of all, she makes me smile so much my cheeks hurt. And she makes my heart swell when she crawls into my lap and rest her head on my shoulder. For a kid who was born with a broken heart, she’s sure been able to teach me a lot about what a heart is really for.

So here’s the silly, unfinished poem:

So many things you’ve learned to do,
in the year since you turned two.
Talk in sentences, run and jump,
Eat without your feeding pump.

So many games you like to play,
You keep me giggling throughout the day.
Flap like a butterfly, hop like a bunny
Every day you’re a little more funny.

What a year since you’ve turned two
Daycare, music class, so much to do.
One thing missing, and it’s just great
A year with no surgery. Celebrate!

I simply cannot wait to see
what you’ll learn now that you’re three.

It’s not the eloquent birthday letter I wrote last year, but certainly it is age appropriate, especially for a kid who still can’t get enough of Iggy Peck, Architect or Bouncing Galloping Dancing ABCs. Not that I will ever be able to rhyme like my heroes Andrea Beaty or Charlotte Doyle.

And you know what? She ate her birthday cake!