Happy 5th Birthday Reya!

Your birthday marks the beginning of a new school year, which is actually real nice. I can always associate the age you are turning, with the grade you are going into.

For pre-K you had the same teachers Mylo did: Ms. Yvonne and Ms. Trina who are a fantastic and familiar pair. However as easy and laid back as pre-K can be, it was tough at times (socially,) for you. You made one very good friend who adored you. So much so that your teachers felt he smothered you and kept you back from making other friends. But I never saw it that way.

His name was Liam and he lived in the neighborhood until mid-way through the year when his family moved away. Even though they had headed me up about the move, I remember when they shared the news to the entire class. The teachers and so many other parents came up to me, offering condolences for your soon-to-be-loss. And while it was obviously not that kind of loss, when he left, his absence was felt. More on that, below.

In October we took our annual trip to Blue Jay Apple Orchards in Connecticut. A place we have been going since you were a newborn baby. This year you insisted, and I mean insisted on wearing a long princess dress made of polyester. DidI mentioned yet that is was an unusually HOT October day, at over 90 degrees with the humidity. I pleaded for you not to wear it and lost. As I usually do. Part way through our day apple picking away, you decided to remove the dress and run through the orchard in your undies and cowboy boots. It was a priceless image and I am so happy I was able to capture it.

For Halloween you were a mermaid and your bestie Liam was a power ranger.

At Christmas your class went to the senior center to perform Christmas songs and pass out handmade ornaments. I remember doing it when Mylo was in pre-K too. You were all smiles and hugs before we left but as soon as we got there, everything changed. I don’t know if it was the notable stench (a cross between hospital food and old people,) or what, but the second we walked in there your “stranger danger” guard was in full swing and you clammed up hard.

It was one of the first times I saw you retreat in a group setting and not only did it make me sad, but it frustrated the heck out of me too. But it reaffirmed the fact that you don’t do well with strangers. You never have, and you tend to keep people you don’t know or trust at a distance. And I need to learn to be ok with this — I suppose it isn’t such a bad thing.

Before Christmas we made a trip to see Santa Claus at Items of Interest in Park Slope. We’ve been going there to have your photo taken with Santa for years. But since Santa is also a “stranger” you were never that keen on sitting on his lap alone, even with Mylo, so it inevitably became a group family photo. This was the first year you sat on his lap without me and daddy.

We chose the coldest night of the year to see the tree Rockefeller Center and then had dinner at Carmine’s. A family fave!

During the holiday break we spent some time in Northport with Uncle Aki and his family. It was the first time you came out of your shell enough to interact with your cousins and it was really nice to see.

For the New Year we were at Goomah and Goompah’s house in Connecticut.

The winter. Winter’s are always tough but this one even more so, because it was when your buddy Liam left. Your BFF. I want to say it was easy but it wasn’t. You were confused and sad and his absence, especially in class, where you are not the most social, was felt. You guys played up until the very last day and hugged these enormous hugs goodbye.
The family’s did a good job of keeping you and Liam connected in the months that followed. You FaceTimed one another on snow days and sent each other adorable cards in the mail. There was even a reunion in July when his parents invited the entire class to the playground. I was a bit nervous for you at first because you do better in one-on-one playdates rather than groups, but you and Liam were glued to one another the entire time. It was as if the other children were not there.

After that visit, things fell off – as they often do when time and space separate us from the ones we love.

The jump from the beginning of Pre-K to the end is an enormous and obvious one. You grew so much. And as tradition would have it, I snapped this pic of you and Ms. Yvonne on the last day of school.

When school let out we went with the whole family including Sidi and Ganga to Las Vegas and met up with Uncle Aki and his family. Mylo has been to Vegas a few times but this was your first and it was fun to watch you take in what you could, such as the half-naked women dancing on podiums at Caesars Palace.

You got in some good-ol’ fashion cousin time while there and had a blast.

In July daddy and I made a whirlwind decision to buy a small house on Candlewood Isle. The entire process was long and stressful but it happened. I’ll write more about that in your next birthday post.

For camp you did two weeks on the lake with Goomah and Goompah in Connecticut and got in some quality time with your CT BFF, Evelyn.

You caught sunnies off the docks and before throwing them back you would talk softly to them. You are never squeamish when it comes to nature and I love that about you.

After that, you did six weeks of camp at Creative Arts Dance Studio in Brooklyn. Let’s just say that Creative Arts wound up being a much better fit for you than the YMCA, which was the camp you did the year before. Creative Arts was 90% female. The combined grades made it an intimate experience, and the older girls doted on you. You adored this one counselor named Lyla who you wanted to become your babysitter, only she was headed off to her freshmen year of college.

In August we took our family vacay in Falmouth, Cape Cod. Only this time we didn’t rent a house and stayed on a beachfront resort which was super kid-friendly. We traveled with Mylo’s friend Jake and his parents and we had a really great time.

During that week away, we got your class assignment for Kindergarten. You got Mr. David (who Mylo had for K and who we loved) only this time he was teaching an ICT class with another teacher, Ms. Megan. It’s about to be our first experience in an ICT class at ps261.

On the first day of school you were a bundle of nerves but good nerves. You wore your favorite hot pink romper and clung to your brother on the walk over and then clung to me during drop off. When it was time for all the parents to leave, you made me pinky promise that I’d be back for you. I’ll never ever forget it.

For your birthday you were all about the American Girl Doll, only we got you the Wellie Wisher, which was more age appropriate and not as expensive. Her name is Ashlyn and you also wanted to look just like her which meant you wanted bangs. I wasn’t keen on the bangs because I knew the upkeep was going to be arduous. If we didn’t keep up with the bang trims, then growing them out would take forever. And I was right! But more on that next year! In any event, you rocked the bang look baby.

You are still my sweet and cuddly child yet with each year you prove more and more defiant. You push me to the edge and often, right over the edge. You test me in ways that your brother never has and I can see how this is going to get challenging but I hope no matter what, we will always remain connected. Happy Birthday my Schmorgie!