Unbearable Sweetness of Five

Madeleine turned five yesterday, and I have to say she seemed to have the best birthday of her life. She is thrilled to be five. For her birthday, she wore a bowling ball shirt that she saw at the mall several weeks ago and inexplicably desired and a new pair of jeans (!) that she requested just days after swearing off all pant-wear for the foreseeable future.

Since it was a school day, I thought I'd break from routine and surprise her by taking her out to lunch. She was thrilled when I showed up in preschool and skipped out the door with me. I planned on taking her to Thai Kingdom around the corner where I pictured us drinking tea from small cups amid the lacquered wood, real tablecloths, and Asian decor. Madeleine, however, chose something different. After checking out both places, she opted for Subway over Thai Kingdom. She dined on ham and cheese with extra black olives and iced tea, and then asked if we could visit Josephine after lunch. Madeleine had a great lunch and I learned that it's better to be leave the plans a bit open. In the end, we did want Madeleine wanted on her birthday and can save Thai Kingdom for another time.

At school, Madeleine shared homemade strawberry cupcakes and strawberry frosting made by her Nana with all of the teachers. Madeleine loved providing snacks for the teachers and the teachers loved eating them. It also had the nice side effect that all the teachers knew it was her birthday and so she received congratulations throughout the day. It think it was that and the birthday calls from Grandpa and Oma, Grandma, Nana, and Aunt Amy that made the birthday extra special for Madeleine. That, and she's FIVE.

To commemorate Madeleine's birthday, here's the invitation to her first birthday party. And, lest Josephine be too left out, this image serves to mark what she looks like these days, too.

The big five-o

Madeleine enjoyed opening an early present the other day, though was surprised to see it was just her little sister Josephine. Of course, since Maddie regularly dresses Josie up and drags her around like a rag-doll, it seems appropriate that her biggest toy present would be her sister.

The party plans are in full swing for a full-on dance gala next week. But before we stage THE event of the season, we're looking at hosting an intimate family dinner tonight for both Madeleine and her Nana (who's birthday is a day before Madeleine's, though she is NOT turning five). The plan is to have an Italian feast at a supposedly fancy restaurant called DeCarlo's. A full review of the culinary delights will be in a separate post -- most likely someone else's blog entirely.

Anyway, presents have started to roll in from around the world. On Thanksgiving, Aunt Amy called from Jamaica and Madeleine asked very politely if she could talk to her. At first I thought, "How sweet, my daughter misses her loving aunt and wishes to hear her voice once again." But then I recalled that she is, in fact, my daughter and would therefore never willingly leave her food to talk on the phone to anyone unless there was some alterior motive. Sure enough, the first thing Madeleine said when handed the receiver was, "Did you get me any presents." I was at once aghast and extremely proud.

We've also recorded on video a new hit single by Maddie titled, "I'm Almost Five." We'll now leave you with a snippet of the lyrics:

"I'm almost five
I'm almost five
Right now I'm four
But I'm almost five."

Weights and Measures

Josephine had her 6 month well-baby checkup this morning. And for those of you doing the math, she is 7 months old. Here are her stats:

Height: 27 1/2 inches (approx 90th percentile)
Weight: 20 lbs 5 ounces (approx 97th percentile)
Head: 44 cm (approx 75-80th percentile)
5 shots
4 bandaids
2 chubby thighs
1 dose baby Tylenol