Hailey. Turns. Seven.

[February 2011]

~

[Written months ago]

I spent the afternoon looking at photographs of my firstborn as a baby. I tried to remember what she was like at six months when she went for weeks without sleeping well until she finally learned how to crawl. 

-at twelve months when she started talking and could express her desire for a specific colored sippy cup with a specific colored lid, and found security in her new ability to communicate.

-at sixteen months when she could. not. stand. her fingers being sticky or dirty and would run them through her hair while eating to clean them off.

-at two years when she showed her characteristic excitement in everything by waving her arms like a hummingbird on caffeine. (which she still does.)

It's amazing to watch a child develop and see the seedlings of personality blossom and grow- and to look back and see where such amazingly unique, interesting, quirky, beautiful traits started from.

at seven she is my extra pair of hands, my shopping buddy, my dishwasher unloader, my sibling soother, my story teller, my song and dance show, and my great great friend.

I'm glad she is my first.

To celebrate we went as a family to a Butterfly conservatory in Deerfield, Mass.

Hailey spent the whole time the trying to get a butterfly to land on her WITHOUT BREAKING THE RULES. Because that's the way she is. Wouldn't you know on our way out, a butterfly lands on Nora. 

And she freaks out.

Then we stopped by Yankee Candle's flagship store, which really isn't a store as much as a city. We were planning on being there for five minutes and stayed for over two hours.