It’s hard to believe, but my baby girl is FOUR YEARS OLD today! She’s certainly no longer a baby… and she’s been a big sister for over two years… and there is a new baby on the way!
Julia told us a few months ago that she would like a “Hello My Kitty” birthday, and so I planned to give her a Hello Kitty cake and sent Hello Kitty favors to school yesterday for her classmates. Last night we picked up Julia’s cake, and apparently it was all she could think about from 5 PM on, because this morning, right around 7:15 AM, she came into our room and said, “Can we eat cake now?”
So, bright and early this morning, we sang Happy Birthday, blew out candles, and ate cake for breakfast. (Mommy says, “YUM!”)
(Video in a follow-up post…)
Julia enjoyed showing people all day that she is now FOUR! Yay!
Later today we celebrated Julia’s birthday again at a Thanksgiving dinner with church friends and their family. We sang happy birthday again to Julia and their son, AJ, who will be 8 on Saturday.
When we came home, we opened Julia’s presents (or rather, Julia opened her presents while Raven sat on Daddy’s lap and wailed because she wasn’t allowed to open Julia’s presents). Here are a few pictures of her opening gifts:
It’s amazing how much kids change in a year. This time last year, Julia was still in Pull-Ups… now she has been potty-trained since late January. She’s grown full into size 4 clothing and size 8 shoes… and her hair keeps on growing! She continues to lose that ‘baby chunk’ and her face and body have thinned out to where she looks like a little girl now… so much more so than she did two years ago and even a year ago.
She is still our “tender-hearted” one, and she cries at the drop of a hat, whether it’s being scolded, losing her favorite toy, having to try new food, or being beat up on by her sister. But I noticed something else about Julia as well… when it’s absolutely necessary, she exhibits courage and bravery. This especially shines through when something happens to Raven – she immediately overcomes any fear or consternation she has and hops to the task. Sure, it needs to be pretty important – trying new food like lime pear Jell-O, for example, isn’t going to make that list. But she cares… she loves… and she protects. It’s amazing to watch her take care of her sister despite their differences (and arguments)… it’s amazing to watch her step up and exhibit courage even when you know she fears.
All in all, I’m pretty amazed and we are so blessed with our darling daughter, Julia. I am so thankful to have her in our lives, and I’m so thankful that she’s the “big sister” in our family.
Erin
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