My Cheerleader

There is so much to say about my daughter, Marissa, (A.K.A. Roo) I don't even know where to start.
So I'll start at the beginning.
Marissa was my 2nd child, my baby.
She came early and even tho they tried to stop my labor, she insisted.
Little did I know that this was a sign of what was to come.
Marissa is very complex and was very difficult as a baby and toddler.
She had colic

She cried for hours, and I am not exagerrating.

I learned very early that I had met my match with her.

She was very independent and strong willed.
I thought she was in the "terrible two's".
I'm telling ya, this was the kid you see in the store throwing herself on the floor kicking and screaming.
I remember on her 3rd birthday I sit there, exhausted as always, thinking:
She's 3 today so the "terrible two's" are going to end.....soon..........right??
Nope.
We had the terrible 4's, the terrible 5's, etc....
I am happy to report she is 12 1/2 now and I could not ask for a better daughter.
Sometimes it is hard to keep the role of "mom" in mind, as she often seems like my best friend.
She is very motherly.
You would never know she is the "little sister" as she is always taking care of her older brother.
He has Autism/Asperger Syndrome and she helps me more than I ever imagined.
When I am gone, she is in charge.
She cooks, she pours chocolate milk, she keeps him safe.
She also takes very good care of her step brother, Ian.
Marissa has the best laugh and smile you could ever imagine.
She is so beautiful and when she smiles it melts my heart.
She has the absolute funniest laugh.
I am constantly doing/saying things to make her laugh, just so I can see her wide-mouthed cackle.
Love it.
She has loved cheerleading since I can even remember.
She used to look at my high school pic's and tell me: Mommy I am going to be a cheerleader just like you were.
And she is. She has been doing it ever since.
I always thought she was pretty good at it, but thought maybe I was just being "mom prejudiced".
She started taking cheerleading at dance class.
Her first recital as a cheerleader, the teacher came up and talked to me.
She said, "She is VERY good".
I asked, "do you think she will be good enough to make the squad in high school?"
She replied: "Are you kidding me, I'm not just telling you that, she is the best in my entire class".
And it was a BIG class.
I teared up I was so proud.
Marissa is so smart, literally.
She makes all A's. Only one B in her life, so far.
She has held a 4.0 grade average all year. So proud.
She is extremely creative, and i have no idea where she gets this from.
She draws, paints, scrapbooks, you name it, and she's always good at it.
We laugh so much together.
We sing and dance in the car, alone, together.
We change the words of songs to something silly.
We cook together.
We shop together.
I try to do all the things with MY daughter that I always wanted.
It makes me feel better.
It heals my wounds, slowly, from the sadness of my mom being so far away.
We talk about girl stuff.
I don't think she tells me everything, but she tells me alot.
I'm sure she doesn't realize it, but all of those "secret" conversations mean more to me than she'll ever know.
She is a blond. Sometimes an air head.
She doesn't pay attention.
She runs into things. (and usually cracks herself up)
She is a germ-a-phobe like me.
She must have things a certain way, all the time.
She is a perfectionist, and this makes me worry, as life isn't always going to allow things to be perfect.
She has big dreams of going to college and making something great out of her life.
There is no doubt in my mind that she will.
I could not possibly imagine my life without my Roo.
If I cry, she cries.
If I laugh, she laughs.
If I worry, she worries.

My daughter.

She is loving.
She is kind.
She is caring.
She is hilarious.
She is smart.
She is independent.
She is beautiful.
She is encouraging.
She is My Cheerleader.