She had a very determined set of ideas for exactly how she wanted her Birthday to go: German pancakes for breakfast, Monster mini-golf, waffles for dinner, and a Birthday cake with Bear Lake and fireworks on it with the phrase "Bear Lake Fireworks." I said, "Or, it could say, 'Happy Birthday Claire,' " and she reluctantly agreed.
This picture makes me laugh- creepy clown, only seeing white. Claire loved it.
I think this clown is giving us all nightmares...
And, of course presents.
Claire told me awhile back that she really wanted to toy barn- one that's made by Our Generation and sold at Target. One problem with her request: She doesn't have a horse. But, she nevertheless really, really, really wants this barn. Because Ben and I didn't want to put the barn before the horse, we got her a horse:
She was super excited- it was a HUGE hit. Ben and I were very relived, because Santa has kind-of failed Claire for the past couple of years (not on purpose...a serious of unfortunate events caused by Santa's elves), so it was nice to finally get her present right!
Here's Claire at 7:
-She definitely continues to have some sensory issues. Socks and underwear are a daily struggle. We are going to get her into some OT to see if it helps.
-However, despite her sensory issues, she is starting to figure out what works for her and to solve her own problems. Unfortunately, sometimes that means that she wears the same panties for a week, BUT- it also means that she is figuring out what clothes/shoes "feel good," how to put her socks on right, and how to get help with various issues as they come up. That's a MAJOR step for her- seriously, HUGE.
-She continues to be a perfectionist- especially with art.
-She is very bright at both reading and math. She can quickly grasp new concepts.
-She is very visual- instead of doing her math, which should take her 5 minutes, she takes over an hour because she turns every numerical answer into some sort of drawing.
-She is really loving the A to Z Mysteries and anything by Kate Dicamillo
-She loves to read to Camille, and to help Camille with her pre-school workbook (Camille LOVES doing her pre-school workbook while the kids do math)
-She is really good at building with the Magformers and Legos. I think she takes after her dad has more of an engineering mind.
-Her favorite food is waffles.
-She won't eat juicy fruit like watermelon because it gets her hands dirty, but loves cantaloupe and strawberries
-She daily changes what vegetables she will eat.
-Even though she is feisty and can be domineering, she also feels really, really bad if she does hurt somebody- she never wants to hurt anybody's feelings.
-She is starting to learn to cook and wants to do so by herself. She is very independent.
-She is still a skinny minnie, even though she eats more junk food than Willy Wonka.
-She loves to snuggle with me on the couch and read.
-Hugs are her go-to sensory release, or whatever it's called. They feel really good to her, and she loves to be hugged tight- especially if she is starting to feel frustrated.
There's a million more things about this girl of ours. She has stretched us greatly as parents, and sometimes we feel we are at our wits end, but we absolutely LOVE and ADORE her, and feel blessed she is in our family. She will be the CEO of a fortune 500 company someday, of that I have no doubt. There will be no stopping this girl- when she sets her mind to something, she does it! I'm excited to see how this translates into her adult world (maybe not so much the teenage years, though...).
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