Today at 12:34 p.m., Ella, my darling middle child, turns 10 years old. I have always thought that the time of her birth was cool but as she grows older, it's obvious that the universe was trying to tell me something.
Elinor is a fantastically different person than me and I'm in awe of her. She's a highly logical person who likes things to go from point A to point B (I usually fly by the seat of my pants.). She prefers when everything is put away and her immediate surroundings are clutter-free and has even been known to spontaneously start cleaning things. (When my work bench is clean, I feel as though my brain has somehow been thrown out with the clutter.) She likes to plan everything out ahead of time: she lays her clothes out - sometimes days in advance, she wants to know what I'm planning for supper before she's even finished eating her breakfast and she always knows what the school schedule will be at least a week in advance. (Uh...me? I roll with the punches and work with what I get on any given day.)
And yet, Ella is still very much my child. She is a voracious reader and spends nearly all her spare time devouring books. She has a fabulous imagination and is very creative, always making art projects and coming up with ideas for new things. She has a hot temper and a sharp tongue but also quickly forgives or apologizes. She's got an amazing sense of humor and has a tremendous talent for voices and mimicry. She can make me laugh even when I'm furious, which is no easy feat! Elinor is definitely the most self-reliant (I guess you kinda have to when you're the middle child!) but she's also the most loving of our 3 kids. She'll snuggle right up to you on the sofa or in our bed or - my favorite - walk up and give you a hug 'just because'.
It is absolutely amazing to watch Elinor grow up. I love seeing little glimpses of Dean and me in her, but I'm fascinated by the way she blends the familiar and the foreign in her unique personality. I can't wait to see what the next 10 years bring!!
She has requested chocolate zucchini cake for her party tonight, so I'd better go pick up the stuff I need to bake her cake.
Check out her main birthday present:
It's the Trek KDR 7.2 FX - a hybrid bike (kinda half road, half trail bike)She's been working so hard to master riding the last bike she got so that she could graduate to a "big girl bike". This one is niiiiiiiiice!!
3 comments:
Happy birthday, Elinor!
Jena, I LOVED reading your description of Elinor! What I have to say is that you are, indeed, one very fortunate mother to have such a wonderful daughter!
Ginny
Happy Birthday Elinor (Ella)!
Hi Elinor and Mom Jena. On Sept. 22, my daughter Emma turned 7 1/2 years old! On Sep. 20, she learned to ride her bike without training wheels. (Dad finally read something on the internet that led to a different approach and presto, Emma can ride a bike.) On Sep. 28, we went bike shopping and bought the same bike you did, the Trek KDR 7.2 FX. Went for a 4-5 mile bike ride right away, until she got tired and we finished with the bus. Looking forward to many bike adventures.
Ken
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