{eight years} Phew, EIGHT?! Eight really feels like a big age, like she’s really a big kid now. And she is. She can swim (mostly), reads full chapter books, can cross the street safely, can pick up + watch Fitz for small amounts of time, uses a seatbelt in a booster seat, is getting her ears pierced in a few weeks, and is headed to third grade next month.
Eloise’s interests are still really the same as they were last year: reading and art (creating things). If she isn’t reading a big book or on her Kindle, she is making something. She has been into making (board) games, clothes for her paper doll, and letters for friends. Oh, and bracelets. Rubber band bracelets are all the rage with her friends these days. Whenever there is a tiny group of girls together, they are weaving friendship bracelets.
School this past year (Eloise’s second grade year) felt almost normal. I mean, we didn’t have a lot of normal school before (when Eloise was in Kindergarten) but being in-person was HUGE for us and really was the best for Eloise. She was at a brand-new (to her) school where she knew only a few other kids (neighbors who were in other grades). Even at the end of the school year, she would tell me that she wanted to go back to her old school, but Aaron and I both know that switching schools was absolutely the best thing we could have done for her. Plus, she really wanted to go back to the Before Times – her Kindergarten class with her Kindergarten teacher – and finish out the year. I don’t blame her. I think everyone wants to finish up something that was interrupted in the spring of 2020. But her second grade teacher was OUTSTANDING! She was kind, compassionate, and maintained a firm structure for her classroom (which was perfect for Eloise).
Eloise made new friends and really seemed to enjoy all of the areas of school this year. She learned basic music chords on a ukulele, did (millions) of art projects in her multi-arts class and experimented in STEM lab. Plus, she was old enough to bring home 3 books from the library every week, which she promptly read on the first day and then complained that she didn’t have anything to read for the next 6 days… We felt (mostly) comfortable with the COVID restrictions at her school, with social distancing and masking the entire year. And neither of our biggest worries (virus exposure and converting to remote learning) materialized – thank goodness!
Since Eloise is fully vaccinated (and boosted, too!) we have been more comfortable letting her do extracurricular activities and camps this spring and summer. The girls both did weekly swim lessons throughout the spring, and Eloise picked it up pretty quickly after being out of the pool for nearly 2 years. And then the girls did ice skating at the new local skating arena which Eloise actually hated at first and then started liking at the very end. I wouldn’t be surprised if she asked to do it again at some point in the future. She’s been doing both gymnastics and ballet this summer, though only wants to continue on with gymnastics. For the summer, Eloise did Girl Scout camp (which was maybe the best thing she’s ever done + is making her SO excited to be in a Girl Scout troop this year!), ballet camp (which she really loved the crafts – ha!), cooking camp (which was a close second for camps since she really loves cooking), and then the girls will do golf camp next week.
It has been really great to see Eloise growing into her own social space now that she is able to socialize outside of our family. She has made really wonderful friends at school and plays a lot with a few of the neighborhood kids as well. She’s super friendly with all of our (adult) neighbors too, able to carry on conversations with them.
And despite having more social opportunities, she and Daphne are still thick as thieves. They did a few camps this summer that were different and it was so sweet to see them miss each other and then really play together in the afternoons and evenings after camp days. Eloise is also really sweet with Fitz and sets up lots of things for him to play with or reads him books.
Birthday Interview. {I am hoping to do this interview every year to see how the answers change!}
What is your name? Eloise Lower.
How old are you? 8 years old.
What is your favorite thing to do? Read. Write books.
What do you want to be when you grow up? I want to be a librarian and a veterinarian.
What is your favorite food? Din Thai Fung. Hot dogs, hamburgers, cupcakes, mac and cheese, and more!
Who do you like to spend your time with? My family. The Pagoagas. My grandparents and Aunt Yaya.
What do you do really well? Read and write books.
What makes you laugh? Jokes. Bathroom humor. Hearing other people laugh.
What is the best time of day? During the school year, 2:45 and 1:10 (on Wednesdays) because that’s when I get out of school and get to do fun stuff. Like playing with my family, making my brother laugh and making things.
What are you afraid of? The dark. And, like, evil cartoon characters.
Who is your best friend? My family.
What do you like to do with your family? Have game night and movie night.
What do you love to learn about? Math. And calligraphy.
Where do you like to go? To Play Street. To Seabrook. And Mimi and Paga’s house.
What is your favorite book? The Boxcar Children series, The Babysitter’s Club series.
If you had one wish, what would it be? That all of my wishes come true. And my biggest wish would be that I could snap my fingers and I could be somewhere else instantly. And then I could go anywhere!
Eloise had her wellness child visit (annual doctor’s appointment) and it went really well. We love her doctor so much and she is growing into a strong and healthy kid! I was reassured that as much as she was complaining about being the smallest/shortest kid in her second grade class, she is right on the 50% for height and weight for her age (plus, she’s one of the youngest students in her grade, given her late summer birthday).
She also had her annual eye doctor’s appointment today too, so she and I headed downtown for that check-up. Eloise has had glasses since last year to help her see distance, but has been needing and using them more and more throughout the year. There has been a lot of squinting happening when she has either forgotten her glasses or (briefly) misplaced them. For as organized as this kid is I am a little surprised by how often she’s lost her glasses! Eloise definitely needs more correction (she’s near-sighted like me and Aaron) and will have an updated prescription for her glasses for the start of the school year.
Kiddo, I can’t believe you are eight years old and I can’t believe you are headed to third grade. You’ll have the best year.
Happy, Happy Birthday Eloise!
M