~13~

Our friend's Jen & Mike gave Amara the perfect tee shirt for her birthday! She loves it

Amara Pearl is turning 13 and I just can't wrap my head around that. I remember the early years of carrying her in the Ergo like it was yesterday. What I would not do to have another day or two or ten of that.

Amara is both excited and sad becoming a teen. Amara wants to dress like a big girl in Brandy Mellville yet opted to order a monster ice cream cake for her milestone day. There are days she loudly informs me that "I am not a kid anymore" while other times she climbs on my back as if she too were longing for the Ergo.

She still loves Ellie & Luvey. They remain her sleeping companions, travel buddies and overall emotional support. I suspect they may end up in college with her.

She still has a love hate relationship with her sister. I love to capture moments of truth. The photo of her when Havana was newborn speaks volumes. But so does the one of them in a boat in Costa Rica. They rely on each other for companionship and safety. And lots of playful moments.

Amara is still a chatterbox. She tells me everything and I mean everything that is going on in her world but expressing emotions is an ongoing process.

She still has tantrums but they have subsided some. Bedtime routine is a lot better as Amara has gotten older but she still has to do things in order. Floss, water pick, brush teeth, wash her face, use special lotions, brush her hair. Brush her hair again. Her Aunt's Kim, Vincenza, Anita & Robyn along with Nana all know too well what happens when that order is disturbed!

Amara is a hard worker. She is smart but is learning the value of hard work.  Amara gives everything she does 110%. She is remarkable that way. She is a leader in her class but moves with a kind, thoughtful heart. Pride and ego are not part of her characteristics.

Patience is a different issue but Amara is learning the value of giving things time. She made strides with her track team (despite the pandemic shutting down meets) and met her goal of selling 1000 cookies this year. That took both patience and hard work. Gymnastics remains her favorite and she can not sit sit. Dancing, handstands, bouncing. I am convinced she has Tiggers DNA in her. But that is Amara and we love all of her.

Amara is a loyal friend. Her social circle is small but over the past few years she has learned alot about friendships. She is a good friend, thoughtful and kind. As dramatic as she is at home, she keeps that out of her friendships.

Amara is dependable. Whether helping me in the house, taking care of her Bodhi (our Siamese), being the pizza co-ceo at school or with Girl Scouts, I can always count on Amara.

Amara is funny and creative. She has a dark side that comes out in her tic toks (blood, knives, creepy stuff) and Halloween customs. She has an engineers mind; always coming up with ideas and solutions to things.

For her thirteenth birthday we have some surprises up our sleeves and some plans for later in the summer. We opted out for a Bat Mitzvah but I wanted her to do a rite of passage. She will do a 6 day backpacking trip later in the summer with handful of girls her age. That will be a powerful experience for her as she moves closer into adulthood. Amara loves nature, exercise and challenges. That experience will provide all that and more.

Amara is overall, an awesome, amazing, never boring, adventurous, happy young lady. I love her more than words could ever express. She is my traveling companion, my informant, my co-chef.  I can not even imagine my life without her. My life would be bland, boring and empty without her. As much as I complain about all the sacrifices, lack of space and sleep, the truth is I am so thankful for the day she (finally) landed into her our lives.  Happy 13th Birthday to my girl Amara Pearl.

36 hours of labor; an emergency c-section and then she was here; a whopping 9 Ibs 2oz Amara Pearl Josephine.

Together, at long last.

This was the day Amara came home from the hospital. No wonder she and Bodhi are so bonded.

With Great Gandma Ruth.

With Ellie

Nothing stops Amara!

Luvey, Ellie & Amara in Argentina!

Her first go at paddle boarding at the Amara Cay Resort, Floirda Keys.

As the Queen of Hearts, complete with blood over her heart and a band aid. 

Beautiful Girl