Happy Birthday, Baby Belle!

Let's face it, my "baby" is no longer a baby. She will always be the baby in our family, but she is growing up waaaaay too fast. Today she turned 6 and I am wondering where in the world the last 6 years went?! Yes, turning 5 is significant because a child starts kindergarten, but 6 means 1st grade and all day school. I was OK with sending her to kindergarten, because hey, she's only there for 2 or 3 hours and it isn't much different than sending her to preschool for 2 or 3 hours. I get to pick her up in the middle of the day, and I still get one-on-one time with her. But Fall will eventually come around this year and she will be in school ALL DAY LONG. And that just makes me an old lady whose kids are all in school.
After trying for several years to have another baby, we finally had her. She fills our home with joy and laughter, and it is a pleasure to be her mommy. At this point, it is hard to remember what life was like in our home before she was born. She still likes to hold my hand, sit on my lap, and have me lay in bed with her when I tuck her in at night. And I look at her and realize that she will soon be too big and too cool (like the other 2) to do those things. At what point does a child stop wanting to hold their mom's hand while walking down the street? And at what point do they stop smiling when mom shows up at their school? I've realized I don't have much "baby" time left with her. And it makes me want to cry.
Belle was born at a special time for us, and as a baby, she spent some time with Great-Grandma Kathryn before she passed away. As Belle had just begun her journey on Earth, Grandma was just ending her journey here. I will never forget the moment I was crying over the death of my grandmother while I rocked my peaceful sleeping baby.
Belle brought a peaceful feeling into our home that really helped us as a family to overcome some difficulties and trials we were facing that year. Having a new child born into your family can really make you think about what is most important in this life. She sort of put things in perspective for us, and she doesn't even know it. I hope and pray that I can convey to her throughout her life how incredibly special she is to me.
I love you, Baby Belle. No matter what, you'll always be (one of) my baby girl(s).