Dear Alexis,
Seven. It's not here just yet, but it's knocking on your door. I'm a little sad about it, but only because Six looks so damn good on you. I'm going to do all that I can to enjoy the last two days of you wearing Six with pride. They are going to be a chaotic couple of days, but definitely fun.
There are a lot of things that I want to say to you ... too many things. The words get jumbled and stuck and won't come out. It's just that you're an amazing person. I'm not sure how that happened, but I'm glad it did. You've become the person who will suddenly stop, look around the room, and spend the rest of the day trying to make that place better. Sometimes you do it with artwork, other times with song, but often you do it through kindness. You know when people need to hear something smart, or something funny, or something kind. It's an instinct for you. You use that instinct to drop Alexis Joy-Bombs all over the place.
Thanks for that.
Six was the year that your feet still didn't grow, but your hair finally did. Six was the year that you hated your curly hair, but told me often that your smile was your favorite thing about yourself. Six was the year that you started to worry about what others thought of you, but it was also the year that you really started to understand that it's OK to blaze your own trail. You found your style with Six, and spent much of your time preoccupied with perfecting that style. (Dude. You cried real tears when I told you 77 Kids had closed. THAT is how much you care about having cute clothes.)
I expect none of that to change any time soon, but I'm really not sure what a six-year old with the style sense of a 15-year old is going to do next. Where is up from there? Are you going to try on Emo for a few months while you're in second grade?
It's cool if you decide to do that, by the way. Just no nose piercings, mmkay?
I could go on and on and on about how much I adore everything about you, but I think I can sum it up with one photograph. It's an old one -- you were just three weeks old when it was taken.
Some day you'll have to ask me to tell you the 2459325098 ways that photo of you at three weeks so completely captured the girl you've become. I'll start with a few adjectives like "strong" and "thoughtful" and go from there.
I love you, kid. Now, let's start getting ready to throw the best birthday party ever.
Love,
That Lady Who Is Still Waiting For You To Learn To Enjoy Sleep