Turning Six

Dear Guthrie,
Happy Happy Birthday Sweet Girl!

I feel like this is my mama-right, but feel free to roll your eyes - I cannot believe you are six! Oh My Gosh! How Has this Happened?? It feels like just yesterday, well no, it doesn't seem so much like yesterday that you were born, but certainly it was just like a month ago. I have a hard time remembering life without your spirit walking beside me.

So, five is done isn't it? Five was a good one. A few months ago I realized that this is the first stage/age I have fully embraced. That there wasn't one part of me that was a little bit wishing for the next change. Maybe it's me, maybe it took 5 years to embrace parenthood this completely. Maybe it's you - you're really fun to talk to. Remember when you were 3 months old and you cried all night for like a month straight? I'm cool we're not there anymore. Except, and this is a big one, soon you will be too big for me to carry in my arms. You'll be relegated to piggy back rides not only because you are heavy, but more than that you are really tall. Some nights when we let you fall asleep in our bed and I take you to your own bed (much to your irritation) you're all arms and legs and your toes hit me mid-shin and it makes me tear up every time.

Five was a big year for you. And I don't know, you've just matured. I feel like I'm getting a firmer grasp on who you will be as an adult. For sure and for certain I'm not wishing these days away, but I do very much look forward to being friends with you as an adult. You are gaining your voice. You friends are finding you not as easy to sway and we are all noticing you're not as prone to bursting into tears as you were even a few months ago. You are empathetic to a fault. Don't ever let anyone tell you your sensitivity is a weakness; it will be what allows you to respond to this world with kindness and compassion.

Your mutual love with animals makes me wonder how full your house will be of pets someday. You are perpetually calling a dog we do not own with your love of whistling. You are constantly in song - making up tunes about whatever is going on around you. You are learning to read and it is such a joy to watch your mind put the puzzle of letters together. You are a phenomenal big sister. Phenomenal. Being sick this fall helped me decide to attune you to reiki so you could use it on yourself, but true to the healer I've observed inside, you have to be reminded to use it on yourself. Instead I find you using it freely with the cats, with your brother, with anyone who has a complaint or ache. Your play has blossomed this year and I find it difficult sometimes to get you to transition from your imaginary world to this present one, but I'm grateful that you've got a vivid imagination.  I'm humbled to watch you grow and stretch and do things with a gracefulness I'm certain you couldn't access last year.

Five was a good year and I'm certain six will be even better.

Happy Birthday my firstborn. I love you so very, very much.

-mom