That night when we went to dinner our friends were shocked that we made her wait all day to open her presents. I know that a lot of people open birthday gifts in the morning, but it always feels too rushed, and until we moved to London, Richard was never around in the mornings.
At first I let Miriam choose which restaurant she wanted to eat her birthday dinner at, but then I over-rode her decision. Poor girl. I had heard of a double-decker bus that had been converted into a pizza restaurant so I suggested that, and she was sold. We invited our friends Mike and Cindy to come too. (With Kayden and Tyler.)
"Here are some lovely toys to look at but you can't play with them! Goodnight!"
From Kayden & Tyler she got a My Little Pony and a Melissa & Doug craft.
From Baca & Grandpa Hall an Elsa cape.
From Baca & Grandpa Bird a French fan.
She will be physical and tough with her brothers, and nestled in her dad's lap minutes later. She will be mouthy and snarky at the boys, but devastated when they are mouthy and snarky at her. She can be so hyper I want to lock her up and then a few minutes later she'll be sucking her thumb and dozing off on the couch.
Miriam is intense. She feels things deeply, like her mom. She loves with loyalty and feels betrayal painfully. If you're familiar with the color codes, Miriam would be best described as YELLOW with a splash of blue. At school she is friendly and outgoing. It is hard for her to sit still and hard for her when kids don't like her, but most kids do. The older kids at the school love to chat and play with her and she loves to be nurturing and playful with the younger siblings of her friends in the mornings at drop-off and on the bus. At home, Mim loves her alone time. She will play quietly in her room for long periods of time and she has a colorful imagination. But she can also be a couch potato. She loves cartoons and movies. Miriam loves attending social activities! Birthday parties, church activities, play dates; keep this girl's calendar booked!
She has learned to read, which is one of my favorite milestones as a parent. The delight and discovery and satisfaction that she expresses when she reads a street sign or a word or a book is so fulfilling.
She has picked up on a few English words and phrases like "paster" instead of pasta, "tell him off" instead of tattle-taling, and she uses the word "proper" all the time, but in different context than American's do. I like to think of "proper" as real, or legitimate. A "proper" birthday cake must have sprinkles.
And she also says "Mummy." Boy does she say it. She says it in a high-pitched shrieky kind of whine. "Mummy mummy mummy!!!"
We love her dearly. She is such a spicy addition to our family dynamic and when we are dragging our feet through the city streets, we can always count on Mim to be skipping and humming, making life a little more upbeat.