Chickadee is 9!!

Today is the day that our little girl, whom Hero Guy calls "Chickadee", is turning 9. It's weird to think that nine years ago ended our experience of being expectant parents. There's just not much that compares to waiting for a baby--whether through natural channels or adoption. It's that strange combination of being so excited you can hardly stand it, but also being apprehensive, hoping the baby will be healthy, hoping you'll know how to do everything you're supposed to take care of; and then the day comes and your life changes forever, whether the baby is your first or your last. Little Chic is our youngest, but as I tell her, she's the oldest sister. And she's nine today. She's been reminding us that it's been coming since September first. She's been singing Happy Birthday to herself since Friday. She asked Hero Guy, Brainy Boy and me "What's tomorrow?" about a million times yesterday. She drove Brainy Boy crazy by quizzing him on just exactly how much input he had into the present he was giving her. She counts it a real insult if the gift wasn't personally hand-chosen by the giver as she wouldn't dream of giving something she hadn't selected herself.

This morning started by her decking out in her favorite pieces from several ensembles (thus the mismatch) and coloring her hair with blue stripes using her Clairol hair gadget, putting in her new kitty earrings she got to open at breakfast, and dashing to school in excitement. I met her at lunch with her very favorite Subway sandwich (plain ham & cheese) and brownies for her class. Tonight we oppened some presents and then went to TGI Friday's for dinner just so she could get their Oreo Madness dessert, which they no longer have. We ran around to a couple of stores to use up some birthday money, and got home with enough time to spare to unpack some of the new loot.

The reason Little Chic is so concerned about making the birthday such a production isn't because she is self-absorbed. It is that she absolutely loves to celebrate anything. It's one of the qualities that I love best about her. She works her little heart out whenever it is Mother's Day, Father's Day, somebody else's birthday, and she wholeheartedly puts her all into making somebody else feel special. So when it's her turn, she just figures that is what people do. It's been a good lesson for Hero Guy and me in validating one another and communicating our appreciation because somebody in the household will notice if we don't.

Some of my favorite things about this little "gal pal" of mine are:
--She is one of the most unselfish children I've ever met. Other people's feelings are of utmost importance to her. She'll often deny herself to give somebody else something that they want (even her brother!)
--She wakes up chirpy in the mornings (she got this from her dad).
--She sings almost constantly.
--She is a very hard worker. She roams around the house looking for things that need to be done, and she is the first one to volunteer to help Hero Guy or me with any task even without pay!
--She is very athletic and loves competition of any kind from sports games to board games.
--She's a "club" kind of girl. She'll join anything that requires membership from the soccer team to Brownie Scouts to a book club, even though she doesn't really like to read all that much. She just likes to belong.
--She loves her brother and adores her dad. Even when they aren't as attentive as she'd like, she follows them around just to be close by.

She's definintely the joy-giver of the family. She wears her heart on her sleeve and can go from happy as a lark one minute to the depths of despair the next. The good thing is, it doesn't take much to bring her back to the top again. I guess that's what little girls are made of - at least mine is.