Birthday Pumpkin

Five years ago you came into our world. Five whole years already! It amazes me how much you’ve changed, and how much you’ve changed our world.

I used to rock you to sleep – all the working outside the home mommy guilt, and I didn’t mind it. I thought you’d be 18 and I’d still have to rock you to sleep. But now? You demand two songs, tolerate a kiss from me, and ask me to go ask Daddy to sing the “rainbow song”. Then you have conversations with your doll, and go to sleep. And for the most part, stay asleep through the whole night.

You like to tell jokes – silly, made up knock-knock jokes that you think are the funniest in the whole wide world. And watching you laugh at your own jokes makes me laugh too – not at you, but with you. Because something about your laugh, the way your eyes crinkle, and one can’t help but laugh along with you.

You’re stubborn, and a perfectionist (I wonder where she gets that from?). You get frustrated when you can’t make your letters for homework perfectly, and I ache and want to do it for you, but stop myself because you need to learn that sometimes, just good enough is ok too.

You’re a daredevil about some things – swimming, for example. You waded right into the ocean when you were 18 months, and laughed when a wave knocked you over. You think you can do anything your bigger cousins can do, and sometimes you get so rambunctious I think you should have been a boy. But then you put on a dress and play with dolls and you’re such a girly girl, and I don’t understand that either, because I am not that way.

Sometimes I forget you’re only five – you act and speak like you’re so much older. That’s probably from being the only child. You travel well, even making up games to play in the car with Daddy and me, and rarely ask “are we there yet?”. You like to eat out at restaurants, and people are amazed that you eat vegetables and more than just nuggets and fries.

I can’t remember what life was like five years ago. I’m sure I was more rested, and not as stressed, and definitely in better shape, but I wouldn’t trade my life now for the world.

Happy Birthday, pumpkin!!