Dear Ellery Jane,

You are a promise fulfilled.

A wish hoped for.

A dream granted.

I prayed and prayed for you.

Just when I thought my prayers would go unanswered you became a part of me.

 And now I have been granted this privilege to watch your life unfold.

My beautiful, bright-eyed, spirited child.

You are explosive.

You are a force.

I could not be more proud of the little girl you have become.

Your presence knits us together as a family.

You are the exclamation point at the end of our sentence.

Please don’t ever stop jumping in puddles

or letting the tears come when they must.

One of your greatest gifts is that you feel.

You feel with such intensity

and with such passion,

and you let the world know it.

Too many girls shy away from it; don’t let their feelings be heard.

I know you won’t be that way.

I know you will always speak with your own voice, in your own rhythm.

Happy birthday my Ellie girl.

I love you with every piece of my heart.

Your one and only Momma

P.S.-This will always be our song.