Our girl turned 7 this week!
Olivia continues to be a mix of so many contrasting emotions/characteristics. She can be cheeky and sassy in one minute and a snuggly cuddle bug the next. She is looking for more independence, but holds me tight when we leave each other. She loves to cuddle, especially with her mamma. She loves to be carried by daddy. And, whether he wants it or not, she loves to carry Eric around as her own little baby.
Last year we instituted Friday Night Family Movie Night and it has become probably our favorite part of the week. We order pizza, cuddle up on the couch to watch a movie, and - while I usually fall asleep about 20 minutes into it - I just love the simplicity of it and how much she adores it.
Matt's travel schedule has been very intense this year, but through it all Olivia stays constant and basically helpful. The only thing she wants is to go to sleep in my bed with me at the same time. At first I thought this was kind of ridiculous - I work all day, then do the pick-up/homework/bed/bath routine alone. I'd love 30 minutes to watch tv and have a glass of wine. But basically those thoughts immediately disappeared from my head when I realized that my sweet little first born daughter is begging for a chance to cuddle me and get some alone time, feeling safe with her mamma next to her as she falls asleep. And I've come to love those days (sorry Matt!). We put Eric to bed, she helps me clean the kitchen and prepare the lunches, we usually watch a show in bed and then fall asleep together. Its about as picture perfect as it comes these days.
We haven't really gotten a chance to see her academic performance yet this year, but she continues to love reading and we have a great routine at night with her. Both Matt and I take turns putting her to bed and we are both reading different chapter books to her. She and Matt are reading Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. Its a long book, with some complicated story-patterns and big words. They go slowly and check-in with each other but she loves it! She and I are reading a few different things - Baby Sitters Club, American Girl and I think she wants to start Phoebe and the Unicorn next. Again, these times with her are so sweet. She cuddles up and we love to make voices with the characters that make her laugh out loud. I love to hear her insights on the book and the characters. Her little mind is so sharp and curious!
To me, seven seems harder and bigger than starting Kindergarten. Her voice isn't baby-ish anymore. She uses adult phrases ("actually." "just to be clear" and "I know, right?!"). The "baby" is gone from her face and she is longing for the days of more freedom and the chance to be her own person. She learned how to ride a bike without training wheels (in one day!) and I was so happy and sad - I don't want this little bit riding away from me.
A few funny things she has said recently:
1. I was disagreeing with her about something she wanted me to let her do. She told me "Mom, if you say no I am going to give you a bad review online."
2. She has had a little anxiety/embarrassment recently about worrying whether her friends will see her out in public and who she's with. I get it. Some family wanted to take her bowling and she was embarrassed she would see friends while she was with them. We calmly talked about and what some other options/choices might be. Finally she said "Its fine. Lets just go to a bowling alley in a bad part of town so no one sees me!" I couldn't even pretend to hide my laughter.
3. She says "lump" instead of "limp." Its so cute. She was furious the other day because she tripped over all the toys she left out. I bit my tongue and didn't even mention the numerous times I had told her to clean it up. But, she knew. So she yelled at me "Are you happy? Now I've got to lump around all day!"
The day before her birthday was a school holiday, so she spent the day with Mimi and got a new American Girl Doll, had lunch at the American Girl restaurant and went to Build A Bear. Such a fun day!
This birthday was a little different. For a variety of reasons, we decided not to do a party with her friends. It wasn't my best experiment and next year I think we will go back to the parties, but we tried.
The night before her birthday, we tried to continue our tradition of putting balloons in her room, but this sneaky little girl was peeking out her window when she was supposed to be asleep and saw Matt pulling in the driveway with a handful of balloons.
\
American Girl Doll stil reigns supreme. This year we also added some "flippy sequin" clothes into the mix. She also really wanted a new lego set - the Andrea Pool Set. She was SUPER disappointed when it wasn't waiting for her that morning, so I had to strongly suggest to her that she would see her grandparents on Saturday and that she should wait and see what they give her!
I was able to surprise her with a balloon treat that morning!
Matt and I got to take her a special lunch (PDQ) and bring cupcakes for her friends. It was so cute to sit with her in the Big Room and watch the various dynamics that happened.
Olivia and Ms. Brown
For dinner she requested her favorite meal - chicken and pesto tortellini. And OF COURSE - a cookie cake for dessert. As you can see, even though Eric has no idea what a cookie cake is, he desperately wants it!
For her birthday celebration with friends, she wanted to go bowling with a new little friend from school. They had a great time and I'm hopeful a new friendship is blooming here...
They wanted to play kids v. grown-ups and they were SO happy when they won 2 games in a row!
Birthday cotton candy for the win!
For our "family" celebration, I suggested something new this year - a cooking class. It was billed as a family cooking class making fettuccine alfredo, chicken parmesan, and mint gelato. It wasn't as "kid friendly" as I was hoping - no stool for her to see, lots of cooking on the hot stove and chopping with big, sharp knives. So, it was not the success I was hoping for. But, you can't win them all.
And even though she got frustrated MANY times during the class, when it was time to taste the food, she LOVED the finished product!
But the real hit of the night was afterwards when we went to Grimaldi's for pizza and the Williams fam met us up there. Sofia and Minah really saved the day and she had SO much fun with them! My gosh I love these girls!
I found these random "surprise balls" that had various treats, including these mustaches which all the kids loved.
Yes. That's a ukulele in the picture. Courtesy of Popo and his new bff, Emily Arrow!
Having your BFF + rose is really the only way to get through a party
And the grand finale to the birthday celebration was a trip to the American Girl Doll store for a 50s Style Tea Party with Emma. She had a great time and these sweet girls who have been friends since they were babies picked right up and laughed the entire time!
And that's a wrap on Birthday #7! I've said it before but I still marvel at this girl - she's just the best and to say I'm obsessed with her is an understatement. Matt and I are just her biggest fans and her number one protectors. We are trying to celebrate her independence, while always remaining her safe place to land. Deep down she is a sweet girl who is kind and empathetic. She knows right from wrong and her conscious is her constant guide. She is still working on finding her courage and we are here to sit by and slowly wait while she finds it in her own time. We are so lucky to have a front row seat to this special life she's living and I can't wait to see what she does this year!
