Letter to Smudge: Seven

My sweet girl. Today is your birthday and as always, I stroll down memory lane to remember this night seven years ago; the night when you made me a mom. You have grown and changed so much since that time but there are parts of you that have remained stable since you were an infant (it's almost like personality is a thing).

You are incredibly special and are absolutely my favorite person to hang out with each day. Your hugs are the best. I am fortunate that you are so generous with this special ability. The teachers and staff at your school also say you give the best hugs. We are so happy to see you do so well in school. Your teacher has said that you are the sweetest and most helpful child she has taught. She said you are a friend to everyone and are loved by the majority of the students. While I sometimes worry about you doing well enough or becoming appropriately assertive, ultimately, I truly do want you to be kind and helpful. I am so glad that is who you are.

You also are doing great in school. You are reading and doing math above your grade level. I say this primarily as a reminder to me that staying calm is always better. When you were in kindergarten and there was talk of being "behind" in reading, I questioned myself constantly, wondering if our more hands off approach and focus on play instead of academics was going to be wrong for you. I am thrilled that you're doing so well now, with no real changes to what we do (reading at night, primarily).

Ultimately, I just think you are a super cool person. Your excitement and enthusiasm for life is absolutely contagious and is one of your best qualities. You are also so thoughtful and you notice absolutely everything--nothing gets by you.

You really are growing into your own identity. Now you say that sometimes you like being small (though you do not like being in a 5-point harness car seat and you're ready for a booster seat like months ago; mama has not been ready). You are getting very good at expressing what you want but also taking perspective from others' views.

Much of your time is spent drawing on paper. You absolutely love to draw--anything and everything. You've also become quite interested in fabric crafts--fabric markers on t-shirts, distressing your own jeans, etc. Of course, you also would basically always choose a screen over any other activity, if given the chance. You have almost finished your year of tap and dance and we have temporarily decided that this will be your last for awhile. You just do not like it. However, you also don't like gymnastics so I'm trying to find other activities you could enjoy. We will start running club in the fall. And maybe piano lessons.

We will see. I am so interested to see what seven brings us.
I know it will bring us love.