Birthday and a Date Night

Allison was my angel baby. She was by the book. She hardly ever cried. She only whimpered when she was hungry. She took a bottle. She took a binky. She went to everyone. She slept 8 hours at night at 8 weeks, and 12 hours at twelve weeks. She loved to be swaddled all the way until she was 11 months old! She took two 2-hour naps a day until she was 18 months old and has since taken 2 or 3 hour naps since....that's right, she'll still nap a few days a week for that long!
When I got pregnant with Cole, I was a bit nervous about how close in age they would be. Thankfully, Allison could communicate really well before Cole was born and I could meet her needs pretty easily. But then Cole was born, and so were Alli's tantrums. I found days where my blood would just boil at her meltdowns. I remember one day in particular, we left early from the park because she ran away from me into the street. She screamed so hard on the way home, I had to pull over half way and get out of the car to cool down. I remember feeling sad because I loved her, but I really didn't like her. She used to come into my room in the morning and just be so grumpy at me and the day hadn't even started. She LOVED her daddy...he could do no wrong (and still can't) and our relationship struggled. Until I found a key to it's undoing. And you'd think that since I've found the key that I'd use it all the time, but I just have to keep reminding myself. First, I started acting really chipper about everything...especially in the mornings...then I PRAISED her for every good thing she did....and it was then that she began to blossom. I still need to be better because I see how much good it brings out in her.
Now she is a smart, thoughtful, creative little girl. I love it when she gets this deep bout of laughter when she's being playful...I wish I could capture it in a bottle. She loves to help out...especially with the dishes, or doing odd chores like organizing things or putting stamps on envelopes. She loves to sing sing sing.....and she's actually really good at it. She also loves to dance to music...but she doesn't like dance classes. She's really into gymnastics. She finds an easy escape with markers and a coloring book. She loves to tell Cole what to do--he makes the perfect dog or monster, or daddy when they pretend.
I'm SOO SO happy we are at a new stage.


Sometimes I think- I have a 5 year old, what?! I can't believe how big she's getting....and how much she's learning. It seems like she's mastering one thing after the other day after day--tying shoes, learning to whistle and snap her fingers, writing letters, sounding out words...anything she puts her mind to, she learns it!
One tradition we had growing up in my family was date nights. My parents went out EVERY SINGLE Friday night on a date. But once a month, my parents took one of us 4 kids on a date with them. We got to choose where we ate and it was just us. We got to go on our birth month and then 2 other times during the year. I really looked forward to that individual time, and I'm so excited that my kids are getting old enough to where a date night would mean a lot to them. Alli turned 5 this year and she is a January birthday and we figured...what better way to start off the year than with a new family tradition. So we told Alli that we were taking her on a date and explained to Cole that he would have his date next month. She chose Oggi's to have stuffed stix. So off we went. She was so cute and excited. While we waited for our food, we let her open her birthday gifts from us. We ended up sitting near another couple with their 5 year old daughter. Her dad had won a few stuffed animals at the vending machine and I mentioned quietly to Dan that maybe he ought to give it a try. I think the dad saw what we were thinking and I saw him whispering to his daughter about giving one of her stuffed animals to Alli because it was her birthday. So the little 5 year old girl, hopped down from her seat and handed a stuffed teddy bear to Alli and wished her a happy birthday. It was the sweetest thing! Then, 3 teenage boys from another table nearby came over to our table and asked Alli if it was her birthday. I answered for her since she was too shy, and so they proceeded to sing happy birthday to her!! I mean teenage boys! It made her blush....and it made my day. After we stuffed ourselves with stuffed stix, Alli got a little ice cream birthday dessert and we headed home. She had been asking for a certain dessert for her birthday that I couldn't quite understand, and I finally figured out that we was asking for a snow cone. So right before bed, the birthday girl got a little homemade snow cone and then her birthday was complete. Here she is sporting her hew sparkly pink converse...And her new night gown
I think I'm gonna love five. It's definitely been a better age for our relationship in general. Just when things seem to be going great...she's going to head into Kindergarten and be away from me for half the day :( It will be bitter sweet.
This is where the joy is at....