Eileen: 5 Years in the Making

I can't believe how much this little girl has changed in 5 years.

Apparently, Dave's scary joker face is genetic....

Eileen is many things.  She is kind, loving, thoughtful.  She is an artist and a friend.  On her worst days, she is a puddle of feelings and emotions, unable to speak or function without crying or whining.

Eileen loves school, books, legos, Goldie Blocks, playmobil, fort building, the beach, playing with her friends, Curious George and Ladybug Girl, chocolate milk, grilled cheese, dresses, sparkles, the colors pink and purple, princesses, rainbows, unicorns, fairies (basically anything that could be stereotyped as feminine).  She hates pants and shorts. She knows what she considers to be beautiful and will tell you.  I am so grateful that she wears a uniform.  I can't imagine how much worse the battles waged would be.

She recently discovered how to use a mouse and navigate technology better.  This is good and bad.  Eileen now likes to earn her screen time so she can play Curious George games on PBSkids.  The good news is her math skills are accelerating rapidly.

 Eileen loves her brothers.  She puts up with a lot from them.

Joining in at Robin's in-home therapy.

What I want to remember most about Eileen at this age is how she views the world.  She has strong opinions about what she believes to be true.  99.99% of what she says is completely false.  This drives Linus insane and I just have to reassure him quietly that I agree with him, but to let it go.  I don't even know where she comes up with half the stuff.

Eileen is brave and stoic when faced with difficult or scary situations like getting a shot or getting her ears suctioned out.  She is willing to try new experiences without too much hesitation.  Just the other week she started ballet again.  Without knowing the teacher or kids, she happily left my side and joined class.  She is not brave when it comes to things like going to the bathroom by herself, opening her bedroom door, turning on lights, walking from the car to the house, etc.  Eileen is shy and quiet, even around people she knows, until she is not.  Then you can't get her to stop talking, and talking loudly at that.

Now that she is in school all day long, we don't get much one on one time anymore.  I didn't realize how much I missed her until she asked for a coffee and nail date after getting shots.  I couldn't resist.

She and I had a lovely time at Starbucks and then chatting with two older Jewish ladies while waiting for our nails to dry.

In the car, I looked back and saw this.  She is still my little girl.  But if you ask her, she is almost a teenager.