{five} While things are starting to look up, we celebrated another birthday in “quarantine.” No party with friends, no dinner celebration at a restaurant, but Mimi came up to visit for a long weekend to celebrate Daphne turning FIVE!
Also, that last photo of the kids cracks me up! That’s real life with three young kids right there.
[I did tell Daphne that after she’s fully vaccinated – her first shot is tomorrow! – that we could do something small (in public) for her birthday. A mani-pedi date (just me and Daph) is on the table and we’ve talked about maybe renting a movie theater and inviting one other family…but TBD!]
Last spring, Daphne was so delighted to be back at preschool and did so well integrating back into her class with her friends. The school spent a lot of time outside playing and on nature walks which is really Daphne’s jam. Then this fall Daphne started Pre-K. It was a new school for her (though one old preschool friend was there too!) even though Eloise attended the same school; Daphne just doesn’t remember it because she was so little (1.5 to 2 years old). So Daph was definitely nervous to start at a new school (plus masks make it hard too) but she has done SO well! And now she is doing so, so well in school, making new friends and learning some more basics before Kindergarten. She is so eager to learn to read which I know is right around the corner for her. Plus, I registered her for Kindergarten last month…bah, I’m not quite ready for that yet!
Pretty much any time of day and in any type of weather, Daphne is up for going outside. Riding her bike is always her first request, but if that isn’t a possibility, then she loves a good walk around the neighborhood block. BUT she also wants to be carried quite a bit, and if there’s a stroller (for Fitz, usually) involved, she wants to be riding in the stroller.
Finally, finally, Daphne started swim lessons a few weeks ago! If you recall, she was all ready to start swim lessons with Eloise in March of 2020. Literally the week she was scheduled to start, school closed and the city started to shutdown. Daphne has been swimming a few times in the past two years, but hasn’t shown much interest in actually swimming. She was really nervous to start, but it helped that Eloise has a lesson right before her. Daph doesn’t love going under the water and I hope that gets better soon because I know she is going to be such a good little swimmer. Like many things I am sad about losing from the pandemic is getting Daphne in the water consistently when she was 3; I truly think she would have learned SO quickly at that age because she was fearless and so eager. Now she’s excited, but has spent some of her lesson crying for me and not wanting to swim. I know she just needs time to get used to being in the water and learn to trust the swim instructor, but I am so ready for the girls to be swimming!
Daph does really well playing with both Eloise and Fitz. She and Eloise spend hours playing all different things together and it really is the sweetest. But then when Daph plays with Fitz, they are the best of friends. No one can make Fitz laugh quite the way that Daphne can. She’s so sweet with him. And on that same vein, Daphne plays extremely well by herself too! Since she has half school days, there’s usually a bit of time after Eloise goes to school in the morning and also before Eloise comes home in the afternoon that Daphne has a chance to play on her own. She has a HUGE imagination and loves baby dolls, LEGO, the dollhouse, Playmobils, and every kind of toy figurine, and usually plays with lots of different things all mixed together.
Our girl has always been really in-tune with emotions, both hers and others around her. She’ll give you a hug if you are feeling sad or tell you a joke if you need a laugh. Daph gets SUPER sentimental about everything and anything. She constantly tells us how much she misses Sadie the dog, though I don’t think she actually has any real memories of her anymore. She gets sad about movies and books. And also has told me a few times that she misses our old kitchen (which we spent all last summer remodeling). I think some of it is that she doesn’t like a lot of change – and I don’t blame her!
Daphne is still such a FUN and SPUNKY little girl. She has the best, kindest spirit. And she’s a kick – she’s SO funny! I can’t believe she’s already 5 because I’ll always think of her as being so young, but then she is also wise beyond her years.
It’s been really interesting to see her grow in the past two (pandemic) years because I am realizing that she has almost no (real) memories of before 2020. She had just turned 3 when the world shut down. And then her whole world really was just our small family. We didn’t see friends, we didn’t see family, we didn’t see anyone closer than 6 feet outside for months, and she didn’t go anywhere except our house for many more months. I’ve noticed as we have started to venture out – to school, to see friends, to anywhere that isn’t our house/yard/immediate neighborhood – that she gets nervous, like really nervous. I try to make sure to answer all of her questions and prep her for what she can expect to help calm her nerves. We are trying to be as loving and supportive and patient with her as she gets her bearings back about being in the world!
Here’s the latest version of Things That Daphne Says:
At bedtime. Aaron: Do you know where Ducky (her lovie) is? Daphne: Yes, he’s right… (and she doesn’t see him on her bed where she thinks he is!) He’s a good hide and seeker!
Chatting with Daph about asking Santa for a gift:But how could I tell him? I can’t get to the North Pole!
And later in the same conversation: So you send a letter Northly to the Old Pole!
I wish we could go to the North Mountain to see Elsa. But we can’t because she’s a critter. (In reference to Elsa from Frozen.)
Eating dried mango: This feels sparkly on my tongue!
Playing with a baby doll: I’m just watching the world go by. And doing squats.
Are you thinking what I’m thinking??
My name is Daphne Daph-Daph Lower!
Aaron was explaining to Daph that Pedalheads bike camp isn’t the only thing that happens at the nearby park and there are different locations for the camp: But how do they move the grass?
On Halloween in the afternoon: I just took a small rest so I could have BIG energy!
Trying to explain the dishwasher whose lights blink if it’s turned on but isn’t running: Mama, the washer in the kitchen. It’s, um, it’s doing this. [she blinks because she can’t think of the word blink]
Falls out of the spinning chair in our living room: I’m fine. I didn’t get any hurts!
English is our voice.
I kept forgetting Daph’s Spanish teacher’s name for the first few weeks and I finally got it right one day at dinner. Eloise was teasing me saying “It’s actually Ms. So and So.” And Daphne said “Don’t incorrect her.”
Puts on a cowboy hat and says: Mama, just call me Woody!
Walking around looking at Christmas lights: I said “Hey look Daphne, it’s a polar bear with penguins on it’s back!” And we stroll past it (she was sitting in the stroller) and she says “Oh, it’s just a blow-up polar bear.”
My tummy is sore from chocolate. [spoken after Christmas]
I’m starving for a special treat!
Drawing Paga (Grandpa): I can’t forget his smile!
I’m babysitting Willa [Eloise’s new doll] for her while she is busy. Even though I’m a child.
Daphne: Is today a school night? Mama: Yes. You have school tomorrow but not today. Daphne: Is today Harry Potter Day? Mama: No, it’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday. Daphne: Oh, I don’t know who that guy is. But I think Eloise does.
Mama, I was really sad when the boat died yesterday. [We had watched a documentary on the Titanic.]
Daph answers a pretend phone: Hello! I am super powerful!
Can we have these? [After eating an entire piece of ice cream birthday cake last night] They are Kitty Cats! [Kit Kat bars]
What is your name? Daphne.
How old are you? 5!
What is your favorite thing to do? I love to color and Mimi and do some things like painting with her. Playing on the Tonie (music box) and so some music, some Spanish music and other things like that.
What do you want to be when you grow up? whispers You already know. Um, I’m still thinking.
What is your favorite food? Watermelon.
Who do you like to spend your time with? Grammie. Mama and Fitz.
What do you do really well? Draw persons.
What makes you laugh? Us tooting to pretend (when you pretend to toot).
What is the best time of day? Afternoon.
What are you afraid of? Bees.* Dragonflies. And also bears.
*She got stung three times this summer and fall, so I don’t blame her!
Who is your best friend? Emilia.
What do you like to do with your family? Draw pencil sticks with paint. And we are laughing.
What do you love to learn about? Dinosaurs. (Which she happens to be learning about at school right now.)
Where do you like to go? To Maui. (She’s never been but we are hoping to be there next year!)
What is your favorite book? The Lion King.
If you had one wish, what would it be? To get me Chilli, Bluey’s mom. (Daphne got a Bluey dollhouse yesterday as a birthday present but didn’t have the mom play figure. And then Mimi surprised her with it this morning!)
{weight} 40 lbs, 9 oz
{height} 42 inches
{hair} brown + she prefers it shorter these days
{eyes} dark brown
{clothes} she still likes looser fitting clothes, so she’s wearing mostly large 5s or 6/6x or small
And here is Eloise’s five year update!
Happy, Happy FIFTH Birthday, Daphers!
M