Saturday, July 14, 2007

Now we are six...


Oh the time flies. On a Friday the 13th in July, six years ago, I gazed down at a 9 pound 1 and a half ounce infant with awe and shock that something so small and perfect could belong to me. I fed her, snuggled her, watched her play with her first balloon, saw her read her first newspaper with Da, and made up lullabyes. I rocked her to sleep in a rocking chair, and cuddled her to sleep on the couch, often napping with her. I took piles of photographs of her with her fuzzy duckling hair, her rock star baby sunglasses, her deep blues eyes, and her rosy cheeks. I co-slept with her for years, I nursed her for a year and a half. I took her to the mall's play area (affectionately deemed the petri dish) and watched as she scrambled around on waffles and bacon. I danced with her to Laurie Berkner and ran with her at the park. I watched my mother play endless fairytale games with her.



I helped her crawl and then walk. I gave her her first and only baby food (peas) and her fist adult food (Split pea soup). I gave her boy toys and girl toys, and felt I had done well when she declared that she wanted to be a boldozer driver when she grew up, while all the girls around her wanted to be princesses.

I sang with her to song after song, hung masterpiece after masterpiece on the fridge, and watched improvised dance moves performed in my living room. I took her swimming for the first time, read her stories, took her to law school clases (where she raised her hand and participated more than once), and watched her grow.



And here we are, six. She can read and write, and keeps several diaries full of her secret thoughts. She wants to be a lawyer when she grows up and plays with her case files while watching Legally Blonde (her favorite movie). She is a big sister, who can help care for a baby, no longer being one herself. She will be entering the first grade in a few months. She held hands with a boy at her birthday party, and she is currently sitting across from my office at her own desk answering her own email.



How fast it all goes.

Thank you to everyone who sent her emails. She was thrilled to get her own phone and email account, and loved that she already had so many messages. She is trying to respond to all of them, but has to hunt and peck, so it may be a while.

6 comments:

Woman with a Hatchet said...

Heyyyy - what's she doing with a picture of my boyfriend on her screen?!

Happy Birthday, Marlena!

Scylla said...

He's my boyfriend woman!
(Is he a philanderer?)

Woman with a Hatchet said...

NO! No! He only loves meeeee!

Scylla said...

No it cannot be true! He is Mine! MINE I TELL YOU!!!

Woman with a Hatchet said...

We've had a hot and heavy relationship since I was in junior high which would have left you in grade school.

It is not possible. He is mine, I tell you!

Scylla said...

I was, and always have been, precocious. My love for him began early.

I saw past even the yellow spandex.

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