five

When I was a new mom I was batshit crazy a wee bit nervous about pretty much everything. I wanted to be a good mom, but then I would read books and it would make me doubt my abilities. Of particular concern was the gem found in pretty much every parenting manual around,

"Eventually, you will get to know your baby's cries."

Because, really? No matter how hard I tried to distinguish them, they all sounded the same to me.

These days, a point of stress with regard to my kids is getting gifts. On the surface you would think this is an easy task. I've been around this kid for almost 5 years...I should know what she likes, right? And to an extent I do. But the life of a 5-year-old is so finicky that you just don't know what she's going to like and what will be the end-all-be-all gift.

Case in point, E loved the books about Kindergarten that Kiki, Uncle Steve and AJ sent...but she screamed with delight "And, look! It came with CARDBOARD! I love to color on that stuff!" And the backpack and lunchbox that Nonna and Pop-pop got her paled in comparison to the birthday card they sent...that had a cut-out crown! That she wanted to wear to school today, in fact.

Cardboard and a crown...who knew?

Since it was E's 5th birthday (and a big milestone), I did want her presents to be special and a reflection on who she was. And, I think they really captured this amazing kid that we haven't ruined quite yet.

1. A new dress. I can count on my fingers how many times she wore shorts or skirts this summer. It was only fitting that we added one to her collection.
   
2. A new Princess nightgown. It was only a matter of time before she started to wear nightgowns pretty much exclusively. And we got her a new one since she so generously donated a Dora nightgown to A, when she wanted to wear a nightgown like her sissy, too.
   
3. Books. We got her two, a new Fancy Nancy book (which she had been begging for) and a Learn-to-Read book about "Princess Ballerinas" (her two favorite things in one book!). She is so close to reading...I can't wait for her to learn and have a whole new exciting world open up.
   
4. An iPod Shuffle. She loves music. Specifically she loves Taylor Swift and Hannah Montana. She knows all the words to Hannah Montana songs I have never even heard before. So I frantically tore the house up looking for found my old school iPod shuffle, downloaded a few new songs, and made an E-specific playlist. She was thrilled and it's never to early to learn the joy of regifting.

Celebrating her birthday at the beach was great. She had a blast going out to dinner with family, and then having cake and ice cream back at the house. John and I *did* get on the ball enough to order a cake...but Grandmom came through with candles and princess party hats for everyone! She also got some great gifts from the family, including a bike-riding Barbie. Who wears mesh leggings. Who knew.

 

All in all it was a wonderful celebration for a wonderful girl.