And Now, You Are Six

Today, my baby girl turns Six. Not so much a baby anymore!

How did we get to six? As ever time seems to have raced on by. You’d think I would be wise to its tricks by now, but no. Six has, almost inexplicably, arrived.

So who is Em at six?

She’s very much a little lady. A girly girl who loves unicorns and mermaids. Fairies and princesses. She is the most caring person I know; breathtakingly so at times. I wrote last year about how good she was with H, and that has continued. She wants to please people and make their paths easier. She can sense when someone needs a bit of comfort and she doesn’t like confrontation, but she won’t shy away from it when the feels an injustice has been served.

Em has a strong moral compass; she won’t let perceived injustices pass her by and the strength of her emotions can sometimes surprise her as she struggles to contain them as she gets her point across. She is quiet but strong; reflective and thoughtful. She will happily spend time quietly when she needs to but is happy to seek her brothers or friends when she wants company.

As mentioned she has a strong sense of right and wrong, and a need for fairness and she adores both her brothers, but I also suspect she wishes she had a sister. She enjoys those moments when it’s ‘just us girls’ and her little hand reaches into mine; showing me she still needs me for reassurance.  Sunday mornings playing games, just the two of us, are some of my fondest memories of Em this year.

She has a laugh that can be uncontrollable – it opens up across her face and takes her little body along with it until she hiccups away. She’s also quite calming; she’s really got to grips with her reading over the last couple of months and, like her older brother, is often found curled up with a book. She loves anything princess or fairy-themed and delights in the stories she reads. I have also noticed growing confidence in her own writing. Often sitting to note a short story or to draw a picture. Her drawings are often very good and she has a real eye for detail at times; something that evades her siblings.

I find Em can be a very calming presence. The boys are prone to getting themselves hyper and worked up but she is less inclined to do this; instead being much quieter in her pursuits, but she can climb and clamber with her brothers and enjoys tearing around on visits to parks and other spaces. As girly as she can be she doesn’t flinch at the mud and dirt!

Em is very patient. She will persevere with things, often coming back again at a later date to finish off a piece of work. She is neat and precise and keen to learn. She doesn’t mind being wrong but can get frustrated when she thinks she should know something. It’s hard when you’re learning so much. It can be hard managing her desire to get to grips with new things such as sewing or others crafts when she is tired; she hasn’t quite worked out yet that she’s often tired by the evening and doesn’t have the focus for such intricate work.

I think we will need to work hard as she gets older to ensure she isn’t a worrier. It can be hard to get her to open up sometimes and over the last month, we suspect she’s been worried about Damian as she’s sought his company during the day and given lots of spontaneous cuddles. As much as re-assure her that his ankle just needs a bit of time to heal, I worry she doesn’t quite believe us. She is however affectionate and keen to write cards and gifts for family and friends, delighting in drawing pictures on homemade birthday cards as well as making friendship cards.

Em is a good girl with a genuine heart. Her excitement for her birthday weekend has been high, and her party yesterday was much anticipated. These six years have seen her develop so much. Gone are the endless hours of crying and wondering when she would ever sleep and settle and here is our little ray of love. Though she is small she is mighty and I hope that this morning, as she opens her gifts she enjoys the items we have chosen for her. I hope she enjoys her birthday breakfast and, most of all, I hope she enjoys her year of being six.

Happy Birthday little Em.