Happy Birthday Tweetie Pie

I'm a bit late posting this up as TP turned eight on Saturday, but I didn't want to miss out on the opportunity to go back in time a little, so here goes! :D

Newborn (well quite)

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1st Birthday

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2nd Birthday

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3rd Birthday

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4th Birthday

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5th Birthday

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6th Birthday

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7th Birthday

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8th Birthday

So, who is Tweetie Pie?

TP was my all day & all night screamer, who was sad and sore from the day she was born. She never kept her food down for long either (though she fed well and gained weight somehow). Eventually the H.V. advised me to get infant Gaviscon for her and almost overnight she was a different child. She began to smile and be much more peaceful in herself :D . Sadly, the Gaviscon also marked the end of my feeding her. As I was unable to express enough to mix it with, I introduced a 1oz bottle of formula to give it to her in just before each feed and within weeks she was refusing the breast. I only fed her for 9 months and I was sad about that, but she was a happy, growing bunny by then, so I was OK with it :D .

TP was my super-dribbler (just look at those first four years of pictures) ~ she was always snotty and sopping, no matter how hard I tried to keep her otherwise. Today we laugh at her 'soggy' photos and she is a real prim little miss! :D .

TP was my rolly-polly baby (so much she got nicknamed Beefie by her Dad!) - maybe it was the formula milk that did that, but now she is the daintiest, dolliest of all the girls ~ funny how that is!

TP was very late to speak. I don't think she said anything much before 2 years old and then her diction and language was slow to pick up, but these days she is up to speed and never stops chatting away like any other 8 year old. Maybe coincidentally she has also been my slowest to gain fluency with reading and writing, but she's getting there :D .

TP is my lovely, giggly, smiley, emotionally sensitive, little princess. She has always loved to dress up girly and I don't think there is a boyish bone in her body. That said, her best friend is quite a tomboy, couple that with having big & little brothers, she can most definitely hold her own amongst the boys. She loves her big brothers immensely and when they are not here she sometimes seems a little lost without them. Her bond to her big sister is even stronger ~ they are best, best friends and almost inseparable - I love that they are so close :D .

TP is a very caring little girl ~ she adores animals and says she'd like to work with them one day. She's also my fearless one! I think she'd be fantastic with animals! She is good at caring for her younger siblings too. BUT she has a wild side and a mean streak that get her into trouble at times. Much as this might seem a negative thing, I see it as something in her that can be moulded for good purpose.

TP is probably my shyest child and one who can happily sit unnoticed in a crowd, quietly in a corner, watching life happen around her. I see her wild streak as a strength in her - it's her way of not getting forgotten! Her meanness is not deliberate, it is simply her inability at this age to work things around without being trampled on, so she is mean instead.

TP is fun-loving and funny and generally incredibly sweet.

If you read this sweetheart ~ I love you! I am glad that God gave Minnie a soul-mate in you ~ we all need one! I'm glad you are part of the mix that makes this family what it is. I'm glad to see your sunny, smiling face every morning. Your name means 'radiant grace' ~ it fits you SO well, for that is what you exude :D. I'm glad of who you are and I am glad of who you will be in the future. I am OH, so glad God blessed US with YOU ~ our Little Princess! :D