Birthday Girl

17 years ago, I received a phone call that I was going to become an aunt at some point during the day. The excitement that I felt was overwhelming and I could not wait to get home from college and meet you. We did not know if you were a boy or girl, but we secretly were hoping that you were a little princess. The pink outfits were way cuter than the blue.

As I sit here today, I think about some of the fun times we have shared over these last 17 years:

• feeding you a bottle when your mom wakes me up in the middle of the night so she can use the bathroom and then allowing her to go back to sleep.
• coming home to you while I was away at college and learning about all the new and amazing things you started doing while I was away – crawling, walking, talking, etc.
• babysitting you when your mom needed to go to work – whether it was sitting at home eating a souffle that you made, taking you to day camp and watching you play with the older kids, watching you swim in the pool you had for a year while your newest cousin slept in her car seat, or having you come with me to set up my classroom.
• sitting with you to work on homework, whether you were 5 or 16. You always knew who to ask when it came to math questions.
• going to soccer games, volleyball matches or badminton tournaments just to watch you play – you always would give me a wave.
• shopping with you at Limited Too, Justice & the Disney Store. I really could have bought you the entire store if I had a million dollars.
• vacationing with you to Disney World. Watching the excitement in your eyes every time you would meet a character was priceless.
• taking you out for ice cream, even when your mom said “No!”
• making fun of the way that your mom says different words.
• cracking jokes (mostly at your expense) about your beautiful nickname, Trish!
• watching you drive out of your driveway for the first time after you received your license.
• hugging your cousins with such affection that they know that they are truly loved by you, since day one.
• there are 1,000s more – I am sure that you remember some too!

Thank you for allowing me to be an aunt that shares in your life. Please know how loved you are today and everyday. Happy Birthday, Paityn Jayne!