Bittersweet

5 years and 10 months ago our precious Priya entered the world prematurely (or so that's what everybody says about a baby born at 34 weeks). At 5 lbs. 13 oz. she didn't have much to learn outside of the womb, and she only stayed in the NICU for a week--compared to so many other TINY little ones who were struggling with all of their might to survive. She thrived from the get-go, and her love for sunglasses clearly began when she donned them so fashionably in the little incubator when she was just days old. She is so many things to us: princess, funny, kind, sensitive, dramatic (hmmm, where does THAT come from?), and the best big sister to her brothers. It blows my mind to think how rapidly time has passed us by since she joined our family that amazing October morning.

In exactly 17 days my first-born enters the big world of elementary school. I hadn't thought much about it until a few days ago when I took the "cool shades" shot above--reminding me of her first encounter with sunglasses. Suddenly Priya looked so grown up! This realization set off a flood of emotions that have been creeping up on me--and will most likely intensify as the first day of school draws nearer. We love you, Priya, and are so proud of you. May you spread your wings and fly in all you do.