Em,

This is so long over due it’s ridiculous, but I’ve committed to birthday letters and you will get one for your 6th birthday, damn it. Even if it is closer to your 18th, then 6th. Almost. Anyway, you deserve a birthday letter, and I would really be sad if I didn’t take the time to tell you how special you are and how you make me laugh. So let’s get on with it.

Happy 6th birthday. I know it wasn’t much, what with the lack of friends, or cake, or food, or lights, but hey you got a bike. A new bike that your father stood in line two towns away for over three hours to get for you! (Gustav was fun. At least I hope you remember it that way. My new therapist assures me you will.) A new bike that you ride to school on every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. All the way to school, so slowly that I occasionally stop along the way to kill myself, and then catch back up and kiss you good bye on the play ground. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. We have good times together.

You seem incapable of keeping your room clean at this point. I’m not sure if it’s some type of developmental disability or the first signs of rebellion, but it’s usually about 3 feet deep in there. This never seems to bother you. You navigate the mess like a mountain climber. If it wasn’t so damned annoying I’d be impressed. I recently took your TV away until the room was clean, but once it was finally clean, you didn’t want it back. Your room is now the only bedroom in the house with out a TV, and it’s your choice. Not that you watch any less TV, you just do it in my room on the 32 inch. Sometimes I wonder who is working who around here.

You now have lots of friends. Not that you ever had a shortage, but now the phone calls and nights spent out and friends over has started. It’s always entertaining to have little girls around. It’s a big statement for Nature over Nurture debate. You girls act like catty college co-eds, even at 5, 6 and 7, so I’m guessing there’s not a strong argument for environment around here.

You continue to struggle with conduct. You get X’s everyday for talking. Every parent/teacher conference is the same thing; “she brilliant, she just needs to stop talking”. Your 1st grade teacher is great. She calls you LuLu and tells you to hush up. She makes me laugh at how she really seems to get you, and you absolutely adore her. I think Ms. Creighton is one you will always remember.

So that’s pretty much your life, being beautiful, friends, TV and an occasional book. While your not as obsessed with reading like Jack or I, you certainly put your time in with books. I love to see that. Your reading skills are developing so quickly right now that’s it’s more like an explosion. But you still tell me you can’t read and want to be read to at night. Some things never change and I hope they don’t. Ever.

Thanks for being my little girl. I love you.

Hugs and Kisses,
Mom