6

The love story did not begin on the day she was born.

I remember vividly the moment I felt in love with my baby. It was the second night we spent together at our own home, back down on earth from the euphoria of delivering my first baby, and engulfed in a tangled mess called sleep deprivation and crashing hormones. It was a sleepless night. I was clad in my night robe, my precious baby in my arms, fussing as I gently rocked her in my armchair. I remember thinking to myself, what have I done to my life? How can I possibly care for this little angel when I can't even console her? Then in the midst of my sushing, somehow OO stopped crying. She gazed at me with her big twinkling eyes, lips pursed in contentment.

It was at that magical moment that I had fallen head over heels.

Fast forward 6 years, her bright twinkling eyes still get me. I am getting a lump in my throat as I write this...how time had just flown by.

OO, it was you who made me a mother. To witness how you have grown by leaps and bounds, from baby to toddler to preschooler to kindergartener, has been a wonderful journey and such a privilege. I am so incredibly proud of who you've grown to be. Even at such a young age, you exude confidence, yet you are so caring that everybody holds a special place in your heart. Your laughter is the best music, and your eyes are ever so twinkling.

Thanks for letting me be part of your adventures. Xoxo and happy birthday!