Adventures of a M-F Single Mommy: Tiny celebrations

Tomorrow, my three-year old turns four. I am both thrilled to see the lovely young girl she is becoming, and terrified at how quickly she (and her brother, for that matter) is growing.

But, rather than dwell on how quickly life passes us by and my associated feelings of mortality, I will devote today's blog to a brief history of Elizabeth Ann Hastings.

Most of you know that Elizabeth was born four weeks early. My Ob-Gyn was a bit concerned about her fetal growth and, as soon as she hit exactly 36 weeks, she was induced. Out she popped at four pounds, 13 ounces at 6:40 p.m. on Tuesday, March 27, 2007.

And the rest, as they say, is history.

Elizabeth quickly established her place in our household and in our hearts. She took a liking to her big brother almost instantly.

That bond has grown stronger over the past four years. Of course, I'm not sure whether it's that they truly love, respect and adore each other, or are simply plotting their next move against assorted power structures.

I had always heard that having two children was not necessarily more difficult, per se, but just twice as much work. I agree and disagree. One of the advantages I have in raising both David and Elizabeth is that they both pretty much like (and dislike) the same things. Food preferences are frighteningly similar. They both enjoy Lego, and even David will jump in and play Barbies with her on occasion (on his on volition). They love to bike and play outside together. They are buddies, and they know that when it's just the two of them and me, they have me out-numbered. That's perfectly okay by me.

I have also thought often about what is different about raising a girl than raising a boy. In my case, each kid is discriminating in their choice of clothes and toys. They adore books. I think one of the few differences I can see is that Elizabeth is just slightly more picky about her hair, and is more likely to pick out her own clothes to wear each day, usually resulting in a very creative fashion ensemble. Otherwise, despite their age and gender differences, these two kids are like peas in a pod. And I am so very lucky and blessed.

Let me end tonight's brief blog post with a photo montage of Elizabeth birthday celebrations of years past. Roll 'em!