The Girl is Seven
I still stare at you, the long skinny girl in front of me and wonder where my chubby little baby girl with the rolls on your thighs that met all the way to your knees went.
You taped your stick horse and scooter together all by yourself to pretend you were riding a horse. |
You love animals, of all kinds. Kittens, dogs, birds, rodents, horses, you like them all. You will fearlessly pick up all sorts of bugs and make houses for them. You spent the summer catching butterflies. You actually caught quite a few. You are, however, afraid of spiders, because you know some are poisonous.
You actually got him to sleep here. |
You are always up to something. You have grand ideas for things you will make and if I leave you to it you usually bring it to completion. In that way your ability to focus is excellent. You leave in your wake a trail of paper, glitter, glue and random fabulous objects you have constructed.
You grated a guava to make the "guacamole" for this taco. |
You also feel every day slights and disappointments very deeply. But you are getting better all the time at self control, and letting go of things that aren't important. It makes me proud to watch you get stronger that way.
You love to be outdoors. You notice everything. Every leaf, every rock, you examine it all.
You are tough. You can take a fall or a tumble and just keep on going. You are the last one to tire on a straight uphill hike, the last to complain. You are also tough when it comes to wrestling around with your brother or daddy. Unless you are so tired you shouldn't be wrestling anyway, you can take your beats and give them out with out so much as flinching.
You are really good at solving problems on your own. You get tired of waiting for me or someone else to help you with something and you often invent a solution that is better than what we would have done anyway.
You love your big brother, and think he's super cool. I've also watched you take it upon yourself to protect him from time to time, in the way that sisters can. You want to translate him to others, and help him to fit in. You are a natural at fitting in. He isn't. I really hope that you can stay able to make others at ease and find common ground but that you never lose your sense of self and who you are. I expect it to be a challenging line for you to walk.
Did I mention that you are beautiful? |
I'm ever grateful for the girl that you are and the girl that you are becoming. It's an honor to be your mother.
I love you always,
Your Mama
Happy birthday The Girl!
ReplyDeleteAlso, that last picture? Is just about heart-stoppingly beautiful.