five year old taco

I woke up yesterday morning with one thought continually running through my head: “Oh my God, she’s five. Five! Why is she five?!” Five seems such a big number. Five is bicycles and reading. It is glue sticks, scissors, and paint. Will Lydia be able to handle all that?

Of course she can.

Lydia has had a fun and fairly eventful fifth year. One of the biggest changes was her own appearance with the loss of her two front teeth over the winter. It took me a while to get used to it, but now when I look back at earlier pictures of her, I see those teeth and think she looks odd with them. When her front permanent teeth finally come in, it is going to blow my mind.

She has also matured significantly over the past year. Gone is the constant whiny-ness and complaints for help. Now there is a freckle-faced kid looking back at me, asking questions about her world and the people in it. Some questions . . .

“Where is the tinkle at before it comes out of my body?”

are harder . . .

“When I die, will you miss me?”

than others.

“Someday, will you come to my wedding?”

Lydia experienced loss for the first time when Renton passed away this Spring. They have gotten along quite famously since Lydia graduated from the put-everything-in-my-mouth mode. Renton would snuggle by her on the couch, would help me to wake her up each morning, and was always there during bath time. Though we have made it through the worst parts some time ago, she will ask about him occasionally, and say that she misses him. I believe she will remember him, and I’m glad for that.

Lydia has developed a more refined taste in media. Dora and Yo Gabba Gabba bore her now. She prefers books about various comic book heroes, dinosaurs, and princesses over the more simple Eric Carle fare. When Sam is indulging in some Gabba, you will find Lydia in another room watching Batman: The Brave and the Bold on an iPad. She knows more about comic book characters than I do now (not that that’s saying much).

Spring in particular was very hectic. The zoo installed a dinosaur exhibit which Lydia just had to go see. She was so excited to see “her T-Rex” but she was a bit spooked by him once we got there.

We also attended the last rolling of Toomer’s Corner with her cousin. We had a fantastic time and I’m glad Lydia got to participate in the tradition, even if it was bittersweet.

At the end of May we attended her graduation ceremony for 4K. We have known many of her classmates since they all were babies, and it was marvelous to see them all up on stage. I was especially thankful that Lydia, who was on the front row, was able to keep her legs crossed.

Lydia began taking gymnastics soon after she turned four. I wasn’t sure how it would go at first, but she has really taken to it. She is still greatly enjoying it, so now every Tuesday afternoon you will find me on an upper floor of an non-air conditioned building, either chilled to the bone or sweating my ass off while I watch Lydia see what she can get away with.

Now here we are at five. We will begin school in the fall, and I am looking forward to seeing what all Lydia can learn over the next year. I especially hope she will master reading. My lifelong love of books began when I was about her age, and I hope she will enjoy reading as much as I do. That way she can read that inane book about the bunny so I won’t have to. Mwuahahaha!