cinco en mayo

Five years ago this very day, I got to meet this girl for the first time:



She had a crazy, fluffy head of hair and long, curly eyelashes. Still does. She was quite noisy. Still is. She did not care much for sleeping. That, thankfully has changed. As have many things this year, which I didn't realize until I went back and read last year's birthday post. She has not asked to be called Lightning in a while, and she hasn't played with any "Cars" characters in months. She has gotten so independent in her play this year. She will spend lots of time in her room dressing up her stuffed animals in doll clothes and generally anthropomorphizing them. She loves any toys that have millions of pieces, like puzzles and Playmobile sets and Polly Pocket and Legos. She also enjoys play-doh, painting, drawing, playing with Sasha, and yes, FINALLY, she truly has fun playing with her brother. Although we did have an amusing conversation yesterday during which she let me know that there might be a couple of ways that she could possibly still be Acting Four even after the Magical Birthday Transformation. Oh? I said, and in what ways might you still be four? She cut her eyes at me, rolled them a little and said, with a dramatic sigh, "Sharing."

Her favorite color is pink. She no longer listens to music as she falls asleep. She loves having her back scratched and her hair brushed (IF the brusher works slowly and scratches her back in the process). She is a little pickier, food-wise, this year. She still eats everything, but not with the relish and glee she used to. She leaves food on her plate for the first time in her life. Some favorite foods that are never left on her plate are cantaloupe, yogurt, Veggie Booty, blueberries, hummus, carrots, raspberry popscicles, and tofurky jerky.

She does not like to run ("I just don't like to feel so TIRED, Mommy.") but she choreographs rather elaborate ballets full of moves that are at times graceful, and at other times comically awkward (these are the times which she seems to think she is being incredibly, fantastically Balletic, which tickles me no end). She is starting actual ballet classes in a few weeks and I can't decide if she is going to love them, or if she is going to be devastated when she realizes that she is years (and thousands of dreary barre hours) away from the Sugar Plum Fairy.

We had a little celebratory gathering at the zoo with my brother and his family on Saturday:
then had another party at the zoo this morning where Harper had lots of fun splashing in the splash pad and eating cupcakes with some friends.




Just before bed last night, after a lengthy discussion about whether or not this morning would bring with it a growth spurt, she asked when we were going to decorate the house for her birthday. I had assumed that we would not, since the party wasn't going to be here. She clearly had not made this assumption. So I headed to Target and then came home and dusted off the sign painting skills I perfected in high school when I should have been doing my pre-cal homework or perhaps reading Animal Farm . And Harper, to her great delight, awoke to a rather tacky amount of pink crepe paper and pink balloons.

Harper is FIVE. I scarce can take it in.