Our joyful middle child turns seven today. This morning, she opened her birthday card from Simon – sealed with love 18 months ago – and hand carried it to school. She is a leader, a creator, and a freethinker. She is a child that requires, as our therapist would say, advanced parenting skills, much like her mother did at her age. She likes to feel special and unique, so I try to call her my first girl instead of my middle child. I dreamed and prayed for a daughter and my heart was full when the doctors told us we would be having a girl.

We wanted this to be a birthday to remember and let our first girl help curate the week of celebrating. She kicked off the festivities with a dance party. Family and friends joined at my parent’s house for an afternoon of Kidz Bop music, snacks, and happy children that couldn’t decide if they wanted to dance or just run around. The latter won out. Our first girl proudly wore her requested attire of a sparkling red dress and high heels.

To add to the excitement, we have been hosting an exchange student from Japan this month. M is a third year nursing student visiting the US for the first time. She adores the children, our pets, and our sometime chaotic house, which was a huge relief. It seems like there isn’t much gray area when you have a house full of spirited children and excited animals; it is either entertaining or overwhelming. M embraced it and now our kids are going to be begging to visit M in Japan for the next who-knows-how-many-years until we make it there!

Other activities for the first girl’s birthday week have included visiting the giant dinosaurs in Cabazon, shopping, going out for Mexican food with M,eating treats with her class at school, skyping with family in Texas, and wearing new birthday dresses. Tonight we will attend a farewell party with M and the other Japanese exchange students. They will show us some of their traditions and we will show them how to chow down on Costco cake. Everybody wins.

Happy birthday, First Girl!