Letter to Lucia: 5 Years Old

Dear Lulu,

Happy, happy birthday, little one! Your birthday was yesterday, and you are so very excited to be five. You've been looking forward to this birthday so much, and we made it a big one for you. On Sunday, we threw you a bounce-house birthday party in a giant warehouse in Secaucus--definitely not a place Daddy or I ever imagined existing, let alone patronizing, pre-you (or, more accurately, pre-New Jersey). It was a ton of fun. Twenty-two children came to help you celebrate, including friends from both your old school and your new school. Aunt Molly and Luca were there too, and had visited for the weekend, which made it even better. You, Greta, and Luca became fixated by the water fountain for a bit, and Molly and I feared you'd never return to your wild climbing and bouncing.

You had cupcakes at school on your birthday. And that evening, we gave you your presents, including a variety of My Little Ponies, a Jasmine, some books, two games, a Tinkerbell movie and fairies, and a Strawberry Shortcake doll. You were so excited.

You got your biggest gift today: I took you to get your ears pierced. You've been asking for pierced ears for nearly a year, and from the get-go I'd promised you could have earrings when you turned five. And, lo and behold, here we are. Daddy was not on board--tried, initially, to prevent it--but I prevailed. You were incredibly excited about the whole thing, but you got increasingly nervous as we waited in the waiting room (we had it done at the pediatrician's office). But you were very brave during the piercing: you were surprised at the first pierce, and started to cry as you anticipated the second. But your tears were brief, and you seemed surprised when you looked in the mirror--like you couldn't believe you really had earrings. You look so cute with your sparkly faux diamonds.

And now--it feels like a new era, five. You seem so much older, interested in new things and capable of so much now. Happy birthday, dear one. You are five!

As a side note, I'll always remember your birthday as the day we had no functioning toilets in the house. We're smack in the middle of our massive renovation, and yesterday, on your birthday, the plumbing work intensified, and we had no toilets or running water for the day. We managed. We had a bathroom trip/playdate with some neighbors, and met Daddy at the diner for dinner. By the time we got home, the attic bathroom worked once more.

Favorite toys/activities: My Little Pony, Strawberry Shortcake, coloring, playing outside, Halloween decorations

Favorite books: a variety of Halloween books: Big Pumpkin, Hubknuckles, Teeny Tiny Ghost, Georgie and the Robbers