my baby girl

I just found Easter sleeping, alone in her room, with the lights on, with a book open under her arm. To really understand why this discovery almost made me cry, though, there are a few things you need to know. Reading is still very hard for Easter. She isn't yet able to read independently. Almost everyday she reads out loud to me for at least 30 minutes. I do my best to always be positive and loving about our reading time, but some things are hard to hide, especially from a kid who is so astute. I think she knows that I wish she was making faster progress and that I sometimes feel frustrated. And---she often sees me reading to myself, in my bed.

At Barnes and Noble this afternoon she asked me to help her find a chapter book, "to read to myself in my bed." So we picked out a hard cover Magic Tree House book. In the car, on the way home, she was reading it, but she was struggling with so many words that it was hard to follow the story. I told her we'd read it together, later. But I was talking on the phone all evening and didn't go in to read with her until she'd already fallen asleep. But she didn't give up. She so wants to become a strong reader, and make me feel happy and proud, that she layed in that bed and tried hard to read it on her own. And I so love her for how hard she's trying, and for her lovely spirit, and for her sweet, sweet heart. She'll get there, someday, and I'll do my best to assure her that she has my love, regardless of how long it takes.