Dear Ana,
Today you are five years old. It’s so hard for me to remember sometimes that you are ONLY five. You look, speak, and even act so much older. But it must be said, you are the most amazing five year old I know. And, thanks to you, I know quite a few five year olds!
Not only are you an amazing five year old (and fabulous daughter, which goes without saying) but you are a wonderful big sister. No. Scratch that. You are a WONDERFUL BIG SISTER. (It must be proclaimed in all caps.) I could never have asked for a better sister, helper, and friend than you are to Hadley. It has really shaped the person you are becoming. For someone who was an “only child” for as long as you were, you are incredibly well-adapted at sharing, taking turns, understanding the importance of other people and their feelings, and wanting to include Hadley in everything you do. It never fails to warm my heart when I watch the two of you together.
As such, you have taken it as your personal mission to help us keep your sister safe. You are always hovering over her like a little mother making sure she is protected. I don’t know many other children your age who are even concerned about other people, much less babies, and yet here you are. Like I said, you are truly something special.
While being girly is something you are clearly no stranger to, over the last year you have started to develop other aspects of your personality. You are tougher, somehow. You are no longer afraid to get a little dirty. You have quite a few close friends who are boys and you can certainly hold your own when playing together. While pink and purple are still your favorite colors, they are no longer the ONLY colors that exist. You now have quite a fondness for black. But while you are being one tough cookie, you never fail to bring a pinch of princess. Whether it is sporting a tiara while gardening and playing soccer or wearing a sparkly tutu with your black Converse “kicks” you are always true to what makes you happy and you are not afraid to be yourself.
As part of this newly blossoming part of your personality, this year you asked to take a karate class. You enjoyed getting out there and learning something new and different. It was great to get you out of your comfort zone of dance classes and remind you that there are so many options out there for you to explore. I always tell you that you can be anything you want in life and getting to try new things is a sure way to help you discover what that may be.
Aside from physical activities, one of your favorite things to do lately is art. It can be painting, coloring, drawing, or simply writing. You love it all. Our house is covered in your latest masterpieces and just about every room in the house has at least one “Ana original” taped to the wall precisely at your eye level. I love that you are able to tap into your creativity and I marvel at watching your artistic abilities grow.
Oh and we certainly cannot forget to mention that you are still obsessed with horses. I keep thinking it’s going to be a phase, like princesses, and eventually your obsession will wane and you will move on to something else, but I’m starting to think this may not be the case. In fact, I’m getting a little worried that you are going to be holding me to the promise I made in your last letter and next year I will be signing you up for riding lessons! Oh well, at least you can totally work the outfit.
A few months ago you started pre-kindergarten, which is still pre-school (you will be in Kindergarten next year) but you go five-days a week. I was worried that it was going to be a bit of a jump from only going two days a week last year, but you have adjusted wonderfully. You are an amazing student and your thirst for knowledge grows every day. We recently had parent-teacher conferences and your teacher informed me that you know all of your letters (capital, lowercase, and the sounds they make) and numbers, and can count to 100. In fact, when she asked you if you could count to 100, you said, “Sure! Do you want me to do it by 10s, 5s, or 1s?” And when you got to 100, and it was clear that you could have kept going, she simply said she was sure you could keep counting but it was more than sufficient for her test!
But preschool is more than just letters and numbers. So much of it is social development and learning to interact with your peers. And you are having no trouble with this. Your teacher also told me that you are very loving and affectionate and are one of more popular kids in your class. She said, “She is a favorite playmate and is often the source of competition for her attention from the girls.” Not that I thought you’d have any problems making friends–heck, I’ve been managing your social schedule for years– but it’s another thing entirely to have it confirmed by your teacher.
Because you are so social, we have quite the active schedule. I am constantly having to remember to schedule in some down time. Occasionally it catches up with you and, while you haven’t taken naps in almost a year, I catch you dozing from time to time. I find it incredibly adorable and while teenage Ana will loathe that I take pictures of you sleeping, it’s a reminder to me to let you be little. So teenage you will just have to deal with it.
Speaking of teenagers, there have been several occasions (and they keep increasing in frequency) where I catch glimpses of what you will be like as a teenage. For the most part, I can handle the sass and independence (where do you think you got it from, anyway?) but I just don’t think I can prepare for how quickly that time will be here.
Ana, I just love you so much. It’s crazy watching you grown and change before my eyes. So much happens over the course of a year that it can be hard to summarize it all for you in one letter. But know that I haven’t missed a single thing. Every skinned knee, every horse-back ride, every dance class, every piece of homework. I treasure you. I love you. To the moon and back.
All my love,
Mama
(You can click on the picture to load the full size image in Flickr.)
