Happy Birthday Harper

Dear Harper,

I’ve been excited about you turning seven. Now I get to write about you and tell my blog readers how proud I am of my niece!

When you were born, we waited for hours at the hospital for you to arrive. There were so many people in the waiting room! Finally, longer than any long ride in the car (when I used to ask Opa, “Dad, are we there yet?”) your dad came out into the room. I think he said something like, “She’s here!”

We knew you were a girl, but we didn’t know what you would look like, what your name would be, and I didn’t know how much I would love you right away.

When I first saw you, I cried because I was so happy. You had a really, I mean really, bright red head. Your face was wrinkly and you kept moving your mouth and hands. I noticed that you had a really beautiful, rosebud mouth, and I liked that you had blonde fuzz on your head.And then guess what? You started crying…and then your dad put his hand over your tiny little body (can you believe it? It fit around your stomach…that’s how tiny you were) and you stopped crying.

After a while your mom said, “Ryan, do you want to tell them what her name is?” And he said, “Harper Ann.”

What a beautiful name! And what a beautiful girl you are, inside and out.

I know when I got married it meant that I moved very far away, to Frans’s home. I really like it here, but I also miss you very much. I guess it means that I have to be really creative to show you what a special person you are to me. You will always be a special niece.

We have done many fun things together…sleepovers with dress up and cupcakes, and always pigs in a blanket. I loved when we all slept over at Oma and Opa’s house and you would climb into bed with me, early in the morning. “Aunt Erin,” you’d say, “the sun is up.” I am so excited about our next sleepover.

This year, I hope you enjoy being seven. I hope you play barefoot outside a lot, climb lots of trees, and pretend, pretend, pretend! I hope you read stories with characters that you love, that you have fun adventures with your family, and that you begin to make really good friends. I’m proud of you for being brave with your hand, for doing the monkey bars, for cheering Maitland on when he climbed his first tree, and how kind you are to others. I am proud of how creative you are, and how you aren’t afraid to talk to people you don’t know very well. I also love it when you dance. I love to dance too, and one of my favorite memories was dancing with you at our wedding. A big hug from us.