Adopted for Life: A Whole Fist Full of Fingers

Two days ago our little Pop-Tart turned five years old (or so we think and were told it's somewhere around that date - no one knows for sure). We decided to do everything we could to make her entire day special, starting with the first opening of her eyes when she woke up in the morning. Knowing she'd be in bed with us when she awakened, we hung streamers from the ceiling with the number "5" dangling from the chandelier. Sure enough, the first words out of her mouth that morning were, "Hey! It's my Birthday!" You should have seen the smile on her face - adorable!

Next, we got dressed and took her out to get donuts. Bummer, but the donut store was closed for the Holidays so we took her to a pastry shop where they specialize in cupcakes. She got the Pink Velvet one with a little snowman buried in white frosting. What little girl could resist that? We then took her and her treat over to Starbucks where Annie, Victoria, Willow, Poppy and I enjoyed one last egg-nog latte of the season (well, actually the girls didn't exactly have a latte). When we left it looked like the girls dumped the vacuum cleaner bag all over the floor underneath the table with their crumbs and all (and it wasn't even a pastry from Starbucks). Oh well, the trivial trials of toddlers.

After that we headed over to the new Lafayette Library where the girls picked up several children's books and perused them in one of the nice children's cubbies installed there. What a nice library. Victoria and Annie decided to walk back to the house, so I drove the girls home. While in the car I said, "Poppy, you're a whole fist full of fingers old!" She held out her hand with her fingers spread apart, still wearing that same grin she started with when she first woke up.

Then after a little rest, Annie baked a gorgeous cake with Poppy, replete with pink frosting and tons of peppermint candy canes. We all ate dinner together and then let her open her presents. Her favorite one of all was from Grandma and Grandpa; a new, blue, sparkly dress-up that made her feel like Cinderella. When she blew the candles out of the cake we asked her what she wished for and she said, "That this blue dress would last forever." Good job Mom & Dad! Poppy got a chance to talk to her Grandma & Grandpa that night on the telephone, and she also got a nice birthday call from her big brother, Austin.

I'm pretty sentimental about all of this stuff, really (just ask my family). I told Poppy that I didn't want her to grow up anymore because it makes me sad. (I almost can't stand to watch old home videos of our children when they were young). Poppy said that she couldn't stop growing up and wanted to get bigger. (Didn't we all back then?) Willow could see that I was make-believing sadness and all with a big frown on my face (sort of make-believe and sort of real), and she quickly stepped in to assuage my melancholy state by saying, "I stay whittle foe you, DaDa. Don't be sad." Willow's the little peacemaker in the house, and also knows how to put on the charm to draw attention to herself.

Poppy wanted to sleep in her new blue dress that night, but we told her she could wear it again in the morning. First thing she said when she woke up the next day, "I want to put on my blue dress." And so she did. (You can wear that dress your whole life Poppy, just don't get any bigger.) Glad the next fist full of fingers won't open up for her for another five years. Her next birthday will require two hands to display her age, though. Boo hoo!