Lorelai's Birthday

My second daughter, Lorelai, just celebrated her 6th birthday this past week. I think my friends would agree when I describe her as magical. (This should not be confused with Charlie Sheen's self-description of being from another terrestrial realm.) I'm almost certain she is an angel sent from heaven to study the human race...and maybe to share a little light from above? She seems mystified of the world around her, and likewise, she mystifies me. Even her speech pattern is eccentric. For example, the other morning Matt said that there wasn't a lot of Honey Puff cereal left. Lorelai asked, "is there enough for a human?"

Don't get me wrong. The last six years have NOT been magical. She spent the first 2 years of life miserable in her skin. She cried a lot. At one point her pediatrician asked me if I liked her (as she sat wailing in my arms). That seemed like a trick question.

I came up with a game as she got older to help calm her down during those times the world felt like too much for her. I would ask her, "What am I going to do with you? Am I going to sprinkle you with water and grow you like a flower?" or "Am I going to put a ribbon on your head and stick you under the Christmas tree?" This silly game would replace her meltdown with bubbly laughter. However, in the hands of the wrong person, bubbly laughter might not be achieved. One night, my husband was on his own for managing one of her meltdowns. He decided to employ my tactic. But his execution left something to be desired. "What am I going to do with you? Am I going to put you in a pot and cook you like soup on the stove?"..."Am I going to stick you in the oven and cook you like a turkey?"...I am pretty sure she was thinking she had just stumbled into a real-life Hansel & Gretel situation. Matt quickly got a tutorial on how to play the game. 1) Do not make like you are going to cook her on the BBQ pit. 2) Do not make like you are going to cook her in the microwave. 3) Do not make like you are going to put her in the dryer. (That may seem random to you. But I saw a horrifying CSI episode where 2 kids were playing with a dryer and one of the boys ended up dying. Lorelai takes things very literally. I did not want to risk having one of my daughters Permanent Pressed.) 4) Do not make like you are going to mow or weed eat her. While Lorelai is magical, Matt is practical. I think he may have missed the spirit of the game. After learning all the "do nots" of the game, he decided he'd rather not play. Can I get an Hallelujah?!

But regardless, we made it to her 6th birthday. Here are some of my favorite Lorelai quotes:
"Christmas decorates my heart."

Lorelai, with big fat tears, asked me to "talk to God because [she] reaaaally wants to fly like a fairy".

Lorelai (referring to her newborn cousin), "Why is that breakable crying?"

Lorelai to Autumn: Let's play Simon Says. Autumn: OK, I'll be Simon. Lorelai: I'll be Says.

I love you with all my heart, LaLa. Happy 6th Birthday!