Happy 3rd Birthday Pumpkin Princess!

It is hard to believe that it has been three years ago that I lay staring out at the dusky Hollywood Hills from the hospital bed with an oxygen mask over my mouth and nose. Moments later I was told that we would need to do an emergency C-section. I didn't take the news very well, but after a long day with not much progress and several weakening fetal heartbeat scares it became apparent that they would just have to go in and get you. You didn't seem to have any plans to come out. When they pulled you out it was visible that the umbilical cord had indeed gotten wrapped around your neck. You entered the world in quite a dramatic fashion on quite a dramatic day (October 31st) and that is also how you live most days.

My little dramatic Scorpio girl with the fiery temper, intense emotion and dreamy blue eyes. You are a wonder to behold. From the day you were born your will has been a blessing and a challenge. I love the fact that you are not frightened by very much (except for masks and the shark from Finding Nemo) and that you demand detailed explanations of everyday routines and you ask me "why?" about 300 times a day. I love that you are social to the point of stalking other children. You insist that they hold your hand as you walk with them (sometimes against their will.) You are a girl who knows what she wants and you've always been very good about communicating those needs.

So much has passed and changed over the course of three years. You have grown from a helpless red-faced infant to an independent flaxen-haired girl who firmly says "I'm frustrated!" when I won't let you watch the same episode of Blues Clues or Lazy Town (one of the most disturbing kid shows ever) for the 10th time that day.

At times you are so easy to please. You love everything. A little bug on the window will entertain you with an hour worth of stories about the bug's family, where the bug was going, etc. Give you some Play-Doh and pipe cleaners and you would think that I just handed you the winning Mega lotto ticket. Nothing makes you happier than peeling all the skins off of a new box of crayons.

At other times your demands are so intensely specific that I consider thumbing through the yellow pages for the nearest child psychologist. You must be covered by a certain blankie (ol' Trusty) at a certain angle with a certain unraveled corner thread within reach of your little twisting fingers. You are a stickler for specifics and your memory is constantly astounding us. For instance, there are several Mylar balloons which have graced your young little life and which I have discreetly disposed of after their deflation date and yet you still manage to name them and hunt for them. Luckily, diversion tactics usually work quickly before too much maternal guilt sets in.

You are a party girl and a scientist all wrapped up into one. There is nothing you love more than turning on the spinning disco ball and having a dance party. Then in the next minute you will decide that absolutely every CD case must be removed from the shelf and aligned on the floor in a path-like formation which snakes throughout the entire apartment.

You are everything I ever dreamed of in a little girl, just the right blend of princess and tomboy. You make me laugh almost as much as you make me cry (just kidding). You have a great sense of humor and wonderfully joyous spirit. You are nonstop fun, energy and enthusiasm. In fact, if I wasn't your mother I would still want to be your friend. You are absolutely my sunshine even when skies are already sunny. I couldn't have asked for anything more from my little Halloween princess. Happy 3rd Birthday, Nova!