To Stella, 6.5

You have grown up so much recently. I don't know if it is Trinity or just the age but you really feel so much more mature than ever. And actually today we were at a group playdate with a bunch of people from K21 and one of the other moms commented on the fact that you look much older suddenly and another mom commented on the fact that there is something about you that feels older, like you just kind of get things that other kids don't necessarily get. All of these things are true.

The other day one of your friends told us that she forgot to turn in her Newsday folder and you said that you almost did the same. I asked you if your teachers remind you and you said, "No because it is not their responsibility." I think that they are treating you more grown-up and it is rubbing off on you. You've had a couple playdates now where you are picked up by someone else's mother or babysitter. Before the first one I asked you if you were comfortable for a different mom to pick you up and you thought about it for a moment and answered, "I'm okay with that." Now I think you really love it. You also always want to walk up the stairs alone (or with Vivian) while I ride the elevator. You also would love to ride the elevator alone but I'm not okay with that ever since Ranny got stuck. But the point is, you are just so much more independent than ever.

You are also an unbelievably great big sister. You take such good care of Vivian and she loves you a lot. Seeing the two of you play together makes me and Dad so happy. A few times when I have had to go out and she is crying, I have told you that I will give you a dollar to be in charge of taking care of Vivian and keeping her happy. You love that because you have this bizarre, I don't know where it comes from, obsession with money. In fact, not too long ago we were singing this Will.i.am song from Sesame Street where he goes "What I am is --" and then a muppet fills in "smart" or "musical" or "brave" or some other great word. I was singing it about you and letting you fill in the words and when I said, "What I am is -- " you replied "obsessed with money" which was funny but also not.

You recently completed an amazing book at school that was all about our family having magic powers. In the book, Vivian used her magic powers to fly out the window and you were crying a lot until she came back. It was very sweet. At parents night, one of the other parents was horrified to see the picture her son drew of his sister making an ugly face, sticking out her tongue at him. I am so happy that your feelings about our family are positive ones as I know they are. There are some weird social dynamics developing at school which I guess is sort of normal for girls. Mostly, though, you seem to be able to just rise above it all. I hope you continue to be so resilient. That's not to say there haven't' been a couple times when you were a bit more distressed. But generally speaking, you are not too caught up in any craziness. Luckily you have a really nice class of girls and you seem pretty much happy to play with anyone.

Daddy and I are really enjoying watching you grow up and seeing you develop more and more into your own person. I feel like the luckiest person in the world to have the privilege of sharing your childhood with you. If I was singing Will.i.am's song about you, I'd say "smart" "fun" "interesting" "considerate" "thoughtful" "surprising" "lovely" "loving" "fierce" and "fabulous". I love being your mom more than you will ever know.
Love,
Mommy

To Stella 6.4

You are in such a great place right now. You are so enthusiastic about everything, such a wonderful older sister, a thriving Kindergartner, and the most fabulous daughter I could ever have imagined. Earlier today, we were singing Will.i.am's sesame street song and I said to you I was going to say the "What I am is -- " part and you should fill in words for yourself. You said "Smart." "Good." "Athlete." All true but you left out "Interesting, creative, strong, magical" and a whole lot more.

Before Christmas you went through the American Girl doll catalogue and picked out a lot of things that you wanted. You also said you wanted a new doll and I was asking you about why you wanted another doll when you really never play with the ones you have. Without missing a beat you replied, "They're always sleeping" which is true. They pretty much just lie there side by side in the bed that you have for them.

You are super into soccer these days and are really thriving in your advanced soccer class. The first week you were in there, I thought that you were very outclassed and that it was a mistake to have you in the premier division. It was kind of an eye-opening shock because I have always thought you were uniquely athletically gifted but there were a few girls in there who were much better than you. But you have risen to the challenge so extremely -- your soccer and your focus have improved dramatically and you now clearly fit right in to the class. You also LOVE ice skating and have picked it up very quickly.

Your reading is getting pretty good. Santa brought you two books but you wanted to finish this massive collected Dick and Jane books edition that you were reading before you tackled the books from Santa. You quickly finished Dick and Jane and have now mastered the Santa books as well. In addition to your presents from Santa, it was important to you to save the card where he wrote that he was really proud of how well you are reading. I think you are proud of yourself too.

We had a really fun holiday season. You, me and Vivian went to visit Santa and you took such good care of Vivian that she didn't even cry on Santa's lap. Which means the picture is not as cute as last year but your little sister was very proud of herself. Vivian is ridiculously adorable and people often make a big deal about her but you don't get jealous at all. I think you are mostly really happy to have such a cute sister. And you're pretty confident in yourself as you should be. But people do tend to make a big deal about the little one. I'm happy that you can appreciate her and. Not sweat it to much and you should know that Daddy and I appreciate YOU more than you will ever know. I love you. Love, Mommy