Tuesday, July 17, 2007

My Birthday Girl

I can’t believe that my baby is 7 already! It seems like just the other day she was born and now she’s getting to be such a big girl with all kinds of independent ideas and interests. Whenever I look at her I am amazed that this lovely, brilliant, precocious child is in my life and that I have the privilege of being her mom. She takes my breath away.



This year she has developed a real passion for science. I'll never forget our nature walks through the wetlands with Princess toting her journal in one hand and her specimen kit in the other. She'd point out the different kinds of plants and tell me why they lived where they did and then she sit down and draw the plant before taking a sample home to look at under the microscope. She does not get this from me! My idea of a nature walk includes good walking shoes and maybe a camera.

She discovered the Magic School bus books this year and is forever quoting facts about different kinds of rocks or how volcanoes erupt or which planet is a gas giant. At the used book store we unearthed a collection of kids science books and for months afterward I would routinely walk into the bathroom o find her sitting on the potty reading “Sky and Earth”. She spent one rainy afternoon this spring cataloging her rock collection by placing each group into plastic bags and writing out how many of each kind she had.

This year she has made great strides in learning patience and compassion. I overheard her talking to a school friend on a field trip in March about how she liked her sister and how generous she was. She now understands when her sister is sad and is likely to comfort her as long as she isn’t the culprit of the bad mood. She is more likely to stop and think about her behavior now and will even voluntarily offer an apology when she’s stepped over the line.

She can read. She started out the year reading fairly well for her age but really blossomed over the school year. Now nothing is safe and I have to much more careful about what I’m doing on the computer when she’s around. No more shopping for birthday presents online while the kids play in the next room! She is also becoming more aware of the world around her. She’s beginning to pick up on subtle interactions between people and ask me about them. Some are easy to explain and others have left me groping for an answer. That big talk about S-E-X is just around the corner… something to look forward to this year!

Although we but heads more now than ever, we also can share more than ever. She is really starting to be her own person. She’s quirky and funny and smart and unusual. It is such a remarkable blessing to witness someone grow from a helpless infant to an amazing girl. I can’t wait to watch her continue growing into a young woman and then an adult. (Ok, I can wait a bit…)

Happy Birthday Darling!




4 comments:

Mom 2 six said...

Happy Birthday !!
She is precious.

KrazyMom said...

Happy birthday to your little one! The older they get, the faster the time seems to go! Hope she had a fun day!

Tami said...

Happy birthday to your not so little girl! She's precious...and smart!

ferenge mama said...

Happy Birthday beautiful girl!!