I just have a few things I want to say about Claire before her 4th birthday is eclipsed by the next birthday on the calendar (spring is birthday season in our house). I think I say this every year, but in some ways I feel like she has already been four years old for months. And then in some ways I can't believe she's not "Baby Claire" anymore. Many of the friendships I formed after we moved here happened right around the time Claire was a baby and so for them - and in turn for me - she is frozen in time as a round-faced, big-eyed baby.
But there is no doubt she is growing up and starting to come into her own. Some may call her the more reserved sister; the one who will stay snuggled up on the couch while her older and younger sisters put on a dance show for the rest of the family. But lately I've been catching glimpses of her coming out of her shell. Like on the day before her birthday when she took off the dress she was wearing (but left on the striped tights), and came out of her room wearing her new leotard, a crown, and a wooden bead necklace. Normally she is shy in front of the camera, but this time when I asked if I could take a picture of her in her ensemble, she did this:
She was giggling. Swaying her hips. She was working it. (And then she asked if I would please print out copies of all these photos for her to have.) I love seeing this unexpected side of her.
Claire is such a perfect combination of smart and independent beyond her years, yet still so very sweetly innocent. I think a great illustration of this is my favorite little quirk of hers. She has always been extremely verbal with an expansive vocabulary, yet she has a knack for always mispronouncing certain words by just one letter or sound. For example, the Muppets movie we watched last Friday night was called The "Muffets." The other day she told me she was brushing her hair to try to get all the "nuts" out of it. And she will ask me how to "smell" a word instead of how to spell it. (No, she's not writing novels. I think she just likes to pretend to do homework like Ella.) The examples are endless, and it makes me smile each time I hear one.
Here's a little interview with the birthday girl at 4:
My favorite fruit is: strawberries.
My favorite TV show is: Max & Ruby.
My favorite thing to eat for lunch is: a bagel & cream cheese.
My favorite outfit is: my rainbow dress & silver shoes.
My favorite drink is: lemonade, of course. (This was her verbatim answer; I would have guessed milk.)
The toy I love to play with most is: Hello Kitty.
Something that makes me scared is: monsters.
My favorite animal is: a pig.
My best subject in school is: painting.
The thing I do the most awesomely is: clean things up at school.
If I could go anywhere in the world, I’d go to: Disneyworld.
My favorite color is: pink.
My favorite thing to do on the weekend is: read books.
The snack I could live on is: gummy fruit snacks.
My best friend is: Hope.
If I had one wish it would be: to stay with my family.
When I grow up, I’m going to become a: mommy.