Maya turns 3

Today is Maya's third birthday. She is growing up so fast. I have to say that my main emotion today was one of sadness, for Maya's birth mother. I wonder what she is thinking today, if she remembers that today is Maya's birthday. If she is thinking about her. I know in my heart that she must be. And I am sad that we have not been allowed by our adoption agency to maintain contact with her because of what I believe is a horribly misguided policy. I wonder if Maya's birth mother has been able to see any of the pictures or the letter that we sent long ago before contact was stopped. I am sad for Maya that it has been so long without contact. It is a tragedy for us, really, but mainly a tragedy for Maya.

We didn't do anything to mark Maya's birthday today because she is having a big party at the club on Friday with a bouncy castle and face painting and a Dora the Explorer cake. I am not sure how exactly we wound up giving her such a big party, as I always vowed to follow the one-child-per-age-of-birthday-girl routine. But, alas, Maya is a social being and there was just no way we could limit her to three friends...

Maya is also much more conscious this year of her birthday and has very clear ideas of what she wants. As in: "I want a bouncy castle and face painting and party hats and goody bags and a happy birthday cake and my dance teacher to teach dancing." Well, she is not getting her dance teacher but the rest are all there... She was very specific.

She also has ideas on what she wants for her birthday. She hasn't gotten any significant new toys since last December, so we will be stocking up a bit as she has outgrown a lot of her old toys. She is getting (actually already has gotten) a trike. And she will get an easel. We were also planning to get her a couple puzzles because the ones she has are too young for her. But she has other ideas. She says she wants a computer. "A yellow one!" Yikes!! How did she go from being a little toddler to knowing exactly what she wants.