An Ode

Today our baby celebrates her five-year-old birthday. I'm trying not to cry as I think back on the last five years of my life with her. She has been an absolute joy in every way. Her birth was the easiest for me, her babyhood went by in a seamless blur, and her personality is, for lack of another word, sparkly.

This kid knows what she wants in life--Barbies and my shoes. But for all her girlish whims, she has a strong core. When we entered the train station bathroom the other day (for instance) and we both noticed that someone had used the drain as a toilet, and the smell was stupefying...she just held her nose, observed, and made sure she didn't touch anything.

She looks beggars in the eye and doesn't turn away. She says 'no' without blinking when an Indian crosses the line and begs her to let him take yet one more photo of her white face. She likes to carry her own backpack. She shares her snacks with me--even if they're those little heart-shaped cookies with sprinkle sugar on them.

She's a sweet-and-spicy one, our baby G. There'll never be another one just like her. Daddy and Mommy love you, G. Thanks for the best five years of my life.