The Big 6

On Sunday, we celebrated Gretchen's sixth birthday! She had been anticipating this birthday since, oh, last fall and counted down the months, weeks and days! The last few days have been the hardest for her, as every morning she woke up asking, "Is it my birthday yet?" I think it is made harder when Sylvia has her birthday only 10 days earlier, and Gretchen sees the gifts, the cake, the special birthday menu that Sylvia gets and it only makes her impatient for her own special day.

Finally, the day arrived! The Big 6!

We celebrate birthdays with special menus, planned by the birthday girl/boy, and so Gretchen requested pancakes for breakfast; sandwiches and mac and cheese for lunch;

meatloaf, mashed potatoes, peas and chocolate cake with strawberry frosting for dinner.

Very yummy meals!

After blowing out the candles.

She is about to lose her first tooth, it's all loose and wiggly, and a permanent tooth is already emerging and pushing it out, but she won't let me pull the loose tooth. Trying to even get my fingers on her tooth is a struggle with her giggling and trying to be brave about it. I managed to grab it once, but with her squirming, I didn't get a good grip, and it was enough for her. Maybe tomorrow...

This is a kid that doesn't adapt to changes well, and losing a tooth is a big change for her. She gets upset when she outgrows a shirt or a skirt and throws a hissy fit when I pass it on to Sylvia. She likes to sit in the same chair at the table and when guests come for dinner and 'mess' up the seating order, she pouts and glares at the person sitting in her chair. When I worked at the consignment store and our home routine went all kablooey, she started to pull her hair out in clumps and I would find hair all over the car, the bed, the couch. It took a long time for her hair to look nice again, and I try to give her a lot of notice when we do something new or different. She is a great hostess, though, and loves to set the table with napkins and help me carry drinks and condiments to the table.

She likes to do things her way and will let me know when she is ready for something. It's hard to get her to do her school lessons sometimes and she will act silly and talk goofy instead of focusing on her reading or writing. I have to remind myself to be patient with her when she gets in her moods and I take full advantage of the moments when she is willing to cooperate with me. I don't know who she takes after more, me or Andrew. She is just her own individual and we love her for it.

Happy Birthday my lovely Gretchen.
May we celebrate many many more!