Lucy is Five!

Yesterday we were telling Lucy all about the circumstances of her birth- the ease of delivery, the visit from not-yet-two-year-old brother Rex (who was much more interested in his new toy train than he was in his new baby sister), the jaundice, the good behavior. (In light of the jaundice, the doctors said "lethargic." We said "well-behaved.")

Anyway, as we were sitting there telling her all those details, I realized: wow, this is boring. If you bundle up that whole story and tell her all about who she was as a baby and every bit of trivia about how she came and how she acted and how she was greeted, you will never in a thousand years put together anything as compelling as her five-year old smile in the above picture, or her five-year old laugh, or the way she sings, or how she talks through her hiccups. Babies are so great in their own way, but we had absolutely no idea on September 21, 2004 what we were really getting. She was sweet and docile and cuddly then. But now, her personality is big enough to fill rooms, trampolines, and distant swing sets. It's like her birth was the big bang, and she's just been expanding into the known universe ever since.



At Grandma Julie's last night, we were each saying what we love about Lucy, and Rex said "she likes to play different things and will try lots of toys." I think he said that because he doesn't know the word "game," as an adjective. That's what Lucy is. She's up for anything. Her favorite is goofy games on the tramp, but if that's not happening, she'll try soccer with the boys, or cooking with Mom, or scouting around with Molly, or playing with dolls in her room, or trains, or balls, air hockey, or pretty much anything that's available. She doesn't often say no. She has been a wonderful stand-in companion for Rex, who desperately needs a little brother, but got a really adaptable and loving little sister instead.

Lucy is still a joker. She's a face-maker and a dawdler. She would probably be able to clean her room in under two hours except that that's where her dolls are. Indoors, she has the loudest run you have ever heard, and when she runs she swings her arms out far in front of her and way behind her, like a speed skater, but on really bumpy ice. At the same time, she is very graceful, is a weirdly precocious dancer, and makes up songs all the time the she willingly sings to anyone around.



Where some kids are a gift to their parents, Lucy is a gift to the whole family. She is as central to our household as a kid can be, the source of most of the fun and laughter and innovation and excitement. We are so blessed to have her, and to watch her continue to expand.