Monday, January 30, 2012
Who do you love more?
Since Daddy's her ride buddy at Disney and also her Star War game um... mentor, Evelyn told me the other day: "I love Daddy more then I love you now. I hope you don't mind." As long as you also love me, I'm okay with that, I think.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Situations that makes me cry and laugh at the same time
The two girls love each other. There's no questioning that when you see Lauren volunteering hugs to Evelyn when Evelyn was upset, or when Evelyn bring home art projects with TO LAUREN sprawled all over the top. On Evelyn's school day, Lauren asks about Evelyn's whereabouts, and when Lauren needs to use the potty, Evelyn willingly goes to help situate her onto the training seat. However, no relationship is healthy without some bickering and fighting sprinkled in between, especially now that both of them can express their feelings quite eloquently (by shouting no) and have firm opinions on how things should go. But sometimes, oh, sometimes the reason and ways they fight makes me wonder if I should be upset or just let go and bust my gut laughing.
Example 1.
When we are out in the public, if one of us need to use the potty, all three of us would have to go and squeeze into the public restroom, bag, winter jackets and all. Squeezing into one stall is already difficult enough especially if you wonder about the sanity of the surrounding. When the time comes to close and lock the door, both girls would fight to do it, as if operating the flimsy door latch is the ultimate proof of ability and power. So, one will lock it, then be ordered to back away so the other one can unlock it and lock it again. Same thing happens when we are all finished and need to leave. Both will again fight for the privilege to unlock the door and set us all free. The only solution I came up with is this: the older one unlocks the door, gets out first. The younger one and I remain in the stall, lock it again, so the younger one can unlock it and get out. This little dance has become a part of our potty ritual.
Example 2.
Again, potty related. This time, it happened at home. When I need to go potty, Lauren usually rushes ahead so she can situate herself on her little stool squarely in front of me as I go about my business. Sometimes with a toy, sometimes with a book. In any case, if she's home with me, I don't get to go to the bathroom by myself. So on this day, it happened as usually. Lauren and I were both in the bathroom when Evelyn got bored and demanded from the family room: "I NEED A GROWN UP TO PLAY WITH ME!" Before I can even begin to reply, the little two year old sitting in front of me yelled back, at the top of her lungs: "SHE NEEDS SOME PRIVACY!!!!" Yes, I do, my dear, I do.
Example 3.
There was one day when Lauren finally decided she can award me that little bit of privacy in the bathroom and left me by myself in it. She made sure things were okay by opening the door (a new skill she just developed, to my dismay) every 30 seconds or so to tell me: "Let me check on you. Are you okay?"
Example 4.
The girls can fight in magnificent ways. Evelyn got Lauren mad one day. Lauren responded by getting into her face to tell her "NO!" Evelyn does not like Lauren yelling at her, so she shouted back "DON'T DO THAT!" Which Lauren didn't like to hear either, so she yelled back "DON'T DO THAT!" The next five minutes, the house rang with shouts of "DON'T DO THAT!" One retaliating the other. If we hadn't stopped laughing and interfere, I fear it could go on for hours.
Example 1.
When we are out in the public, if one of us need to use the potty, all three of us would have to go and squeeze into the public restroom, bag, winter jackets and all. Squeezing into one stall is already difficult enough especially if you wonder about the sanity of the surrounding. When the time comes to close and lock the door, both girls would fight to do it, as if operating the flimsy door latch is the ultimate proof of ability and power. So, one will lock it, then be ordered to back away so the other one can unlock it and lock it again. Same thing happens when we are all finished and need to leave. Both will again fight for the privilege to unlock the door and set us all free. The only solution I came up with is this: the older one unlocks the door, gets out first. The younger one and I remain in the stall, lock it again, so the younger one can unlock it and get out. This little dance has become a part of our potty ritual.
Example 2.
Again, potty related. This time, it happened at home. When I need to go potty, Lauren usually rushes ahead so she can situate herself on her little stool squarely in front of me as I go about my business. Sometimes with a toy, sometimes with a book. In any case, if she's home with me, I don't get to go to the bathroom by myself. So on this day, it happened as usually. Lauren and I were both in the bathroom when Evelyn got bored and demanded from the family room: "I NEED A GROWN UP TO PLAY WITH ME!" Before I can even begin to reply, the little two year old sitting in front of me yelled back, at the top of her lungs: "SHE NEEDS SOME PRIVACY!!!!" Yes, I do, my dear, I do.
Example 3.
There was one day when Lauren finally decided she can award me that little bit of privacy in the bathroom and left me by myself in it. She made sure things were okay by opening the door (a new skill she just developed, to my dismay) every 30 seconds or so to tell me: "Let me check on you. Are you okay?"
Example 4.
The girls can fight in magnificent ways. Evelyn got Lauren mad one day. Lauren responded by getting into her face to tell her "NO!" Evelyn does not like Lauren yelling at her, so she shouted back "DON'T DO THAT!" Which Lauren didn't like to hear either, so she yelled back "DON'T DO THAT!" The next five minutes, the house rang with shouts of "DON'T DO THAT!" One retaliating the other. If we hadn't stopped laughing and interfere, I fear it could go on for hours.
Friday, January 13, 2012
A rumbling account on Disney's Hollywood Studio & Magic Kingdom II
Hollywood Studio --
Too short for some rides, too young to properly appreciate the others, Lauren was largely bored here. The only ride that she really, really enjoyed and wanted to do again was Toy Story Mania. She also liked the Disney Playhouse Live Show, singing and dancing along. Indiana Jones she found silly. Beauty and the Beast and the Voyage of the Little Mermaid were sort of okay, but too loud for her.
Evelyn, however, found a favorite in the new Star Wars ride. It's not a gentle ride. Daddy actually found it "scarier" then some of the rides that Evelyn rejected based on her scary scale. But it's Star Wars! And ever ride might present a different story line, and so Evelyn couldn't get enough of it. She rode it four times. Each time existing the ride with such a beam on her face and spring in her steps, there is no mistaking how much fun she was having.
Magic Kingdom II --
Crowds! Is it a national holiday somewhere? There was so much people there that the park actually delayed closing for one blessed hour. The day started out promising, we went from ride to ride without much wait time. Then, we stopped for breakfast, and all momentum was was lost. The long wait at lunch at Chrystal Palace (with reservations!) didn't help either. We went back to the hotel for a midday break and for Evelyn to thoroughly enjoy the slide at the pool (perhaps her favorite thing in all Disney), then went back for a show and the Electric Parade. After the parade though, the crowd either lingered for the fire works show or missed the prolonged opening hour announcement and dispersed. Yay for us. We rode probably as many rides in that one hour as we did the rest of the day. We saw the firework light up the world and bloom overhead as we went from ride to ride. Even the way it caused the shadows to shift was magnificent.
After Star Wars ride, Evelyn is much more open to various rides, and finally agreed to try Space Mountain. She enjoyed the initial parts, but got annoyed when the ride caused her headband to fall and got scared during the pitch-dark-drop parts. Despite all this, on the second day, when we were discussing which park to visit again, she volunteered to go on it again if we decide to go back to Magic Kingdom. Her thrill-riding parents are very proud of her for just trying.
Too short for some rides, too young to properly appreciate the others, Lauren was largely bored here. The only ride that she really, really enjoyed and wanted to do again was Toy Story Mania. She also liked the Disney Playhouse Live Show, singing and dancing along. Indiana Jones she found silly. Beauty and the Beast and the Voyage of the Little Mermaid were sort of okay, but too loud for her.
Evelyn, however, found a favorite in the new Star Wars ride. It's not a gentle ride. Daddy actually found it "scarier" then some of the rides that Evelyn rejected based on her scary scale. But it's Star Wars! And ever ride might present a different story line, and so Evelyn couldn't get enough of it. She rode it four times. Each time existing the ride with such a beam on her face and spring in her steps, there is no mistaking how much fun she was having.
Magic Kingdom II --
Crowds! Is it a national holiday somewhere? There was so much people there that the park actually delayed closing for one blessed hour. The day started out promising, we went from ride to ride without much wait time. Then, we stopped for breakfast, and all momentum was was lost. The long wait at lunch at Chrystal Palace (with reservations!) didn't help either. We went back to the hotel for a midday break and for Evelyn to thoroughly enjoy the slide at the pool (perhaps her favorite thing in all Disney), then went back for a show and the Electric Parade. After the parade though, the crowd either lingered for the fire works show or missed the prolonged opening hour announcement and dispersed. Yay for us. We rode probably as many rides in that one hour as we did the rest of the day. We saw the firework light up the world and bloom overhead as we went from ride to ride. Even the way it caused the shadows to shift was magnificent.
After Star Wars ride, Evelyn is much more open to various rides, and finally agreed to try Space Mountain. She enjoyed the initial parts, but got annoyed when the ride caused her headband to fall and got scared during the pitch-dark-drop parts. Despite all this, on the second day, when we were discussing which park to visit again, she volunteered to go on it again if we decide to go back to Magic Kingdom. Her thrill-riding parents are very proud of her for just trying.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
A rambling account of Universal, Sea World, and Disney (Epcot & Magic Kingdom I)
Universal -
Stayed at Universal Lowe's Royal Pacific hotel which means we can walk to the Island of Adventures in 10-15 minutes, or take a water taxi (!!) there. It also means that we get to go the Wizarding World of Harry Potter an hour before it's open to the public, and have express pass to every ride! So, 7:45am, and we are racing from the water taxi dock to Diagon Alley and Hogwarts. 7:55am, Evelyn and Daddy are already on the Flight of the Hippogriffs. It was a mild roller coaster, really, nothing fancier then the kiddie ones at Canobie Lake Park, but it was much higher and bigger in scale, which caused Evelyn to deem it "too fast", and made her "a little bit scared". Daddy went on to tour Hogwarts. Then, Lauren and Mommy got in line to visit Ollivander's wand store. The wait was long. But we had fun in the line just goofing off and finishing our breakfast croissant (the bag of grapes was the best deal I've seen in theme parks). The little demo in the store (small, cramped, dark, but quite faithful to the book) was short but Lauren found it very amusing (Mommy is jaded and all too aware of the fact that the store owner is but an actor following a script). Frozen butter beer is very yummy (even if the weather is still a bit chilly for any frozen drinks). Daddy's Dragon Challenge ride was terrific (he rode the blue this time, I think). The store displays in the Wizardy World are whimsy and fun (Lauren was deeply worried for the crying Mandrake. "Where's the baby's mommy?" Mommy wishes there's more to the displays besides a few store fronts.) Then, the crowd began to really thicken, so we went to Seuss' Landing and rode - One Fish, Two Fish (once, cause Lauren doesn't want to get wet), the carousel (twice), the Cat in the Hat (three times -- we all really loved it), and the trolley train ride (four times -- we all really, really loved it). The rides incorporated the rich materials from Dr. Seuss books, and the colors, oh the colors and shapes are fabulous. We went back to the three broom sticks for lunch. Evelyn LOVED the kid's chicken legs meal. She devoured it and decided that that's what she'll get next time (if we ever come back while she's still kids-meal-age). Daddy's chicken and ribs (ribs especially) and mommy's Shepard's pie were also good. Lauren liked the apple sauce and grapes... Poseidon's Fury was a lot of fun, to Mommy and Daddy. Both girls freaked out over the darkness and loud sounds. The parents thought Pteranodon's Flyers would be fun and exciting to Evelyn since it's really a high hanging glider and Evelyn loves to swing. Nope. She decided that it was too fast and so, scary. However, we saw a dinosaur hatch in the Discovery Center, so Jurassic Park wasn't a complete bust. Besides, Evelyn had her first Churros, and that girl is sold on it. Walked back to the hotel to play in the heated pool and then ate at the Island again. No hula dancer tonight to our disappointment. The one the night before was wonderful.
Sea World --
Man is this a huge park! Beautiful and big. We visited the aquarium, saw the sea lion and otter show, watched as sea birds try to find crumbs under our lunch table, played at the kiddie rides (Sesame-Place-attitude attendants) and play area (the favorite is probably the 3 story tall slide - both girls went on it 5 or 6 times), watched the Shamu show (Lauren fell asleep before the show ended), and visited sharks and dolphins. Finally, we went back to our hotel, fetched the luggage, and moved on to Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge (Boma -- YUM!).
Epcot --
Lauren only likes Mikey and Minni, and find Donald huggable but marginally. Pluto and Goofy are dogs. Not friendly enough. However, fishes are fun. Lauren rode Nemo three times (once with Evelyn, Mommy and Daddy, and twice with Daddy while Evelyn and Mommy went on Soarin). Soarin? Gorgeous! Too bad the wait was so long that there's no chance for multiple rides. Evelyn did get to go twice though (Lauren is too short to go on so Mommy and Daddy had to take turns). Rapid Rider Switch pass for rides? awsome!! Evelyn got to sit up front at Crush Talk. Lauren stayed there until the show started, then she burst out crying and ran off to look for Mommy (very scary for Mommy to see). Malstorm was still too much for Evelyn. Lunch with the princesses was fabulous. The food was great and the princesses were very nice. Snow White even pointed out to Evelyn that they both have short hair, wear head bands, and has blue tops on. Evelyn's skirt also matches her cape color. Lauren went on the grand procession with the princesses even though Evelyn sat it out. Evelyn loves how the water fountain sprays water all over the place ("is it raining?" asked Mom). Mexico's ride with the three Amigo's was well received, even though it started out dark, and that there was a volcano on the background painting. Imagination was fun. Captain EO was skipped over because "loud noises and darkness may be scary to young children". Spaceship Earth no longer scare either girls. Daddy got to Test Drive and go on a Mission: Space. Evelyn and Lauren explored the climbing structure in the Mission in Space building. Lauren was doing really well until she bumped her back while being high up. Then it was Mommy poking into the kid size structure trying to guide her out through voice. Evelyn eventually got her down, yelling, at the same time, "NEXT TIME DON'T CLIMB DOWN THAT WAY!" Evelyn got to have churros again. Evelyn made a new friend on the bus ride back to the hotel. They took turns telling terrible knock-knock jokes that make absolutely no sense. We had a full day's activity and skipped midday break. Couldn't believe everyone did so well with it.
Magic Kingdom, I --
The rides that ended with Lauren saying "I want to do this again": Winnie the Pooh (rode it twice), It's a Small World (rode it twice; Lauren danced and sang along the second time), Peter Pan, Cinderella's Carousal (of course), the mad tea party (3 times, twice consecutively in the evening), Buzz Lighteryear's space ranger spin, Aladdin's magic carpet ride, and even Pirates of the Caribbean (Evelyn hid with hands over her ears the whole duration and never wanted to go on it again). Philomagic made her very worried for Donald, but that was the first 3D movie that Evelyn truly enjoyed. Snow White was too scary for both of them. Upon Lauren's request, we went on to the People Mover which Evelyn would love for all of us to ride again just so she could see Lauren's cow-bell-eye frozen expression upon finally exiting the dark area within Space Mountain. The breakfast in Cinderella's castle was fun, but Lauren ended up busy eating her French Toast sticks rather then take pictures with princesses. Should Mommy be glad that at least food still counts more then the fancy princesses. Jasmine told her that Abu could stuff 12 grapes in his mouth. I hope that did not become a challenge or an inspiration. We saw all the Disney characters, and even a moving, talking trash can which greatly amused Lauren. We made a makeshift dinner out of one giant turkey leg, popcorn, a pretzel, and a corn dog. Both girls liked the turkey leg, especially Evelyn, making Mommy pleasantly surprised. With the mid day break, during which Evelyn finally tried out and fell in love with the pool's slide, we were able to stay for the fireworks and be greatly amazed by it. It was spectacular. But by then Lauren was too tired, so she was bothered by the loud noises and spent most of it hiding with hands over her ears in the crook of my neck. She fell asleep before we even got out of the park (which took some time what with the crowd).
Baby's been excited and moving as well. He is constantly on me and Lauren's mind (I keep reminding Lauren about it since when I hold her, she's effectively squishing baby) even when we are busy playing.
Stayed at Universal Lowe's Royal Pacific hotel which means we can walk to the Island of Adventures in 10-15 minutes, or take a water taxi (!!) there. It also means that we get to go the Wizarding World of Harry Potter an hour before it's open to the public, and have express pass to every ride! So, 7:45am, and we are racing from the water taxi dock to Diagon Alley and Hogwarts. 7:55am, Evelyn and Daddy are already on the Flight of the Hippogriffs. It was a mild roller coaster, really, nothing fancier then the kiddie ones at Canobie Lake Park, but it was much higher and bigger in scale, which caused Evelyn to deem it "too fast", and made her "a little bit scared". Daddy went on to tour Hogwarts. Then, Lauren and Mommy got in line to visit Ollivander's wand store. The wait was long. But we had fun in the line just goofing off and finishing our breakfast croissant (the bag of grapes was the best deal I've seen in theme parks). The little demo in the store (small, cramped, dark, but quite faithful to the book) was short but Lauren found it very amusing (Mommy is jaded and all too aware of the fact that the store owner is but an actor following a script). Frozen butter beer is very yummy (even if the weather is still a bit chilly for any frozen drinks). Daddy's Dragon Challenge ride was terrific (he rode the blue this time, I think). The store displays in the Wizardy World are whimsy and fun (Lauren was deeply worried for the crying Mandrake. "Where's the baby's mommy?" Mommy wishes there's more to the displays besides a few store fronts.) Then, the crowd began to really thicken, so we went to Seuss' Landing and rode - One Fish, Two Fish (once, cause Lauren doesn't want to get wet), the carousel (twice), the Cat in the Hat (three times -- we all really loved it), and the trolley train ride (four times -- we all really, really loved it). The rides incorporated the rich materials from Dr. Seuss books, and the colors, oh the colors and shapes are fabulous. We went back to the three broom sticks for lunch. Evelyn LOVED the kid's chicken legs meal. She devoured it and decided that that's what she'll get next time (if we ever come back while she's still kids-meal-age). Daddy's chicken and ribs (ribs especially) and mommy's Shepard's pie were also good. Lauren liked the apple sauce and grapes... Poseidon's Fury was a lot of fun, to Mommy and Daddy. Both girls freaked out over the darkness and loud sounds. The parents thought Pteranodon's Flyers would be fun and exciting to Evelyn since it's really a high hanging glider and Evelyn loves to swing. Nope. She decided that it was too fast and so, scary. However, we saw a dinosaur hatch in the Discovery Center, so Jurassic Park wasn't a complete bust. Besides, Evelyn had her first Churros, and that girl is sold on it. Walked back to the hotel to play in the heated pool and then ate at the Island again. No hula dancer tonight to our disappointment. The one the night before was wonderful.
Sea World --
Man is this a huge park! Beautiful and big. We visited the aquarium, saw the sea lion and otter show, watched as sea birds try to find crumbs under our lunch table, played at the kiddie rides (Sesame-Place-attitude attendants) and play area (the favorite is probably the 3 story tall slide - both girls went on it 5 or 6 times), watched the Shamu show (Lauren fell asleep before the show ended), and visited sharks and dolphins. Finally, we went back to our hotel, fetched the luggage, and moved on to Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge (Boma -- YUM!).
Epcot --
Lauren only likes Mikey and Minni, and find Donald huggable but marginally. Pluto and Goofy are dogs. Not friendly enough. However, fishes are fun. Lauren rode Nemo three times (once with Evelyn, Mommy and Daddy, and twice with Daddy while Evelyn and Mommy went on Soarin). Soarin? Gorgeous! Too bad the wait was so long that there's no chance for multiple rides. Evelyn did get to go twice though (Lauren is too short to go on so Mommy and Daddy had to take turns). Rapid Rider Switch pass for rides? awsome!! Evelyn got to sit up front at Crush Talk. Lauren stayed there until the show started, then she burst out crying and ran off to look for Mommy (very scary for Mommy to see). Malstorm was still too much for Evelyn. Lunch with the princesses was fabulous. The food was great and the princesses were very nice. Snow White even pointed out to Evelyn that they both have short hair, wear head bands, and has blue tops on. Evelyn's skirt also matches her cape color. Lauren went on the grand procession with the princesses even though Evelyn sat it out. Evelyn loves how the water fountain sprays water all over the place ("is it raining?" asked Mom). Mexico's ride with the three Amigo's was well received, even though it started out dark, and that there was a volcano on the background painting. Imagination was fun. Captain EO was skipped over because "loud noises and darkness may be scary to young children". Spaceship Earth no longer scare either girls. Daddy got to Test Drive and go on a Mission: Space. Evelyn and Lauren explored the climbing structure in the Mission in Space building. Lauren was doing really well until she bumped her back while being high up. Then it was Mommy poking into the kid size structure trying to guide her out through voice. Evelyn eventually got her down, yelling, at the same time, "NEXT TIME DON'T CLIMB DOWN THAT WAY!" Evelyn got to have churros again. Evelyn made a new friend on the bus ride back to the hotel. They took turns telling terrible knock-knock jokes that make absolutely no sense. We had a full day's activity and skipped midday break. Couldn't believe everyone did so well with it.
Magic Kingdom, I --
The rides that ended with Lauren saying "I want to do this again": Winnie the Pooh (rode it twice), It's a Small World (rode it twice; Lauren danced and sang along the second time), Peter Pan, Cinderella's Carousal (of course), the mad tea party (3 times, twice consecutively in the evening), Buzz Lighteryear's space ranger spin, Aladdin's magic carpet ride, and even Pirates of the Caribbean (Evelyn hid with hands over her ears the whole duration and never wanted to go on it again). Philomagic made her very worried for Donald, but that was the first 3D movie that Evelyn truly enjoyed. Snow White was too scary for both of them. Upon Lauren's request, we went on to the People Mover which Evelyn would love for all of us to ride again just so she could see Lauren's cow-bell-eye frozen expression upon finally exiting the dark area within Space Mountain. The breakfast in Cinderella's castle was fun, but Lauren ended up busy eating her French Toast sticks rather then take pictures with princesses. Should Mommy be glad that at least food still counts more then the fancy princesses. Jasmine told her that Abu could stuff 12 grapes in his mouth. I hope that did not become a challenge or an inspiration. We saw all the Disney characters, and even a moving, talking trash can which greatly amused Lauren. We made a makeshift dinner out of one giant turkey leg, popcorn, a pretzel, and a corn dog. Both girls liked the turkey leg, especially Evelyn, making Mommy pleasantly surprised. With the mid day break, during which Evelyn finally tried out and fell in love with the pool's slide, we were able to stay for the fireworks and be greatly amazed by it. It was spectacular. But by then Lauren was too tired, so she was bothered by the loud noises and spent most of it hiding with hands over her ears in the crook of my neck. She fell asleep before we even got out of the park (which took some time what with the crowd).
Baby's been excited and moving as well. He is constantly on me and Lauren's mind (I keep reminding Lauren about it since when I hold her, she's effectively squishing baby) even when we are busy playing.
Thursday, January 05, 2012
Happy birthday, dear child.
Happy fifth birthday, my dear!
In the dim morning light, the first thing you said when you woke up beside me was "Mama, am I five now?", and then you proceeded to ask if your legs look longer and if you've grown taller. I smiled and told you that growing up happens in little bits every day, it does not happen overnight on your birthday. Still, when it came time to brush your teeth, you showed me how you can reach the faucet now without your stool (in tiptoe), and how your pajamas look so much shorter on you then they did last night. After rinsing off your toothpaste, you made a funny face and felt a tooth with your tongue. With wrinkled brow, you informed me that you think that tooth is starting to wiggle loose.
Yes, my love, you are growing up so very fast. Maybe not overnight, but definitely in an alarming pace. You are tall enough for certain roller coasters! We are to register you for kindergarten this year! You are almost too old for some indoor play areas! 5 years. A blink of the eye. Looking at you walking in front of me, feeling your back as I laid my hand on your back to guide you, it is clear that you've shed the toddler chubbiness, and is well on your way to the awkward lankiness that I went through.
Do you know how much I love you? From the moment that I learned of your existence, you have continued to show me how amazing it is to be your mother. To watch you laugh and grow. To watch you explore and embrace new experiences. To listen to your songs and stories and thoughts. Even more amazing is to watch you take on your role as a big sister. Do you know how proud I am for how you take care of your sister? You helped Lauren onto the potty the other morning when none of the adults were available (I had to leave early for school), and waited with her until a grown-up can come help her. And all this done without anyone asking you.
Happy birthday, dear child. 5 years old, and on your way to so much more. You can't wait to grow up, to go to college (you'll stay home for it, you told me), to learn to drive, to wear makeup, to do all these grand things. My only hope is for you to also take it slow and love what you are going through now. There's no replacement for the present, for being 5. Enjoy it. I love you.
In the dim morning light, the first thing you said when you woke up beside me was "Mama, am I five now?", and then you proceeded to ask if your legs look longer and if you've grown taller. I smiled and told you that growing up happens in little bits every day, it does not happen overnight on your birthday. Still, when it came time to brush your teeth, you showed me how you can reach the faucet now without your stool (in tiptoe), and how your pajamas look so much shorter on you then they did last night. After rinsing off your toothpaste, you made a funny face and felt a tooth with your tongue. With wrinkled brow, you informed me that you think that tooth is starting to wiggle loose.
Yes, my love, you are growing up so very fast. Maybe not overnight, but definitely in an alarming pace. You are tall enough for certain roller coasters! We are to register you for kindergarten this year! You are almost too old for some indoor play areas! 5 years. A blink of the eye. Looking at you walking in front of me, feeling your back as I laid my hand on your back to guide you, it is clear that you've shed the toddler chubbiness, and is well on your way to the awkward lankiness that I went through.
Do you know how much I love you? From the moment that I learned of your existence, you have continued to show me how amazing it is to be your mother. To watch you laugh and grow. To watch you explore and embrace new experiences. To listen to your songs and stories and thoughts. Even more amazing is to watch you take on your role as a big sister. Do you know how proud I am for how you take care of your sister? You helped Lauren onto the potty the other morning when none of the adults were available (I had to leave early for school), and waited with her until a grown-up can come help her. And all this done without anyone asking you.
Happy birthday, dear child. 5 years old, and on your way to so much more. You can't wait to grow up, to go to college (you'll stay home for it, you told me), to learn to drive, to wear makeup, to do all these grand things. My only hope is for you to also take it slow and love what you are going through now. There's no replacement for the present, for being 5. Enjoy it. I love you.
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