Month 84
Dear Lia,
You sneaky! You sneaky sneakily sneak. In the past year, somehow as you evolved from a six-year-old to a seven-year-old, you sneakily, without my noticing, turned from a "big girl" into a young lady. How did you do it? Was it by growing your hair long? By reading so much and getting so smart? Did ballet lessons give you that extra poise and grace? Or are seven-year-olds really supposed to be young ladies already? I don't think so! But in reviewing a year of your photos, I can't help but think, Wow. Lia is not really cute anymore, because cute is for babies. Lia is beautiful. You are beautiful. (But take note, you are still my baby. You will always be. Don't forget.)
Happy seventh birthday! Seven is a very special birthday. I don't know when it became special. It wasn't special when your Dad and I were kids. We didn't get to have big parties, and certainly didn't get to have a special seventh birthday trip. Now all your friends who are turning seven are having big parties for all their friends. You've been attending birthday parties nearly every week since the year started. But last year, we gave you a choice on how to celebrate your special seventh birthday, between a party or a trip to Hong Kong Disneyland, and of course you chose the trip. And we've all been looking forward to going to Hong Kong Disneyland since that decision.
We've been very lucky to have been able to take our whole family on this trip. Just us, Daddy and me, you three kids, and Ate Weng to help take care of the three of you. And we not only got to go to Hong Kong Disneyland, we got to stay at the Disney Hollywood Hotel. AND we got to spend your actual birthday day in Ocean Park Hong Kong! Which, if you don't mind my saying, seems to have been a bigger hit with you kids (and us adults) than Disneyland was. Thrilling as it was to see all your favorite Disney characters alive and in person, and getting to ride all those exciting rides, I think you loved Ocean Park more because of the animals and all the things you could learn about them. True to form, you loved to read all the signs that described all the fish, and jelly fish, and the pandas, and the rainforest animals. If only we had more time, and there were less people rushing about, you would have stopped to read every single sign, and came away with an encyclopedic knowledge of every single creature in Ocean Park. So, I have a feeling we'll be going back there someday.
This past year you got to learn to do a lot of new things. Last summer you took swimming lessons here at the village "country club". And your coach was so impressed by you, that even if you had only learned to swim the month before, he told you to enter in the 5-6 year olds category of freestyle and breaststroke against kids who had been taking swimming lessons for many months ahead of you. And of course you know, you got third place medals in both categories! Ok, there were only 6 of you competing, but still, medals are medals, and swimming is not an easy thing to learn. I must say that back in summer, while you had your twice weekly lessons, you had better form than I ever had. Unfortunately we stopped your lessons at the end of summer and whenever we get into a pool for fun swimming, you don't seem to want to do your proper strokes anymore. So maybe that's the end of your competitive swimming career. Or maybe you'll take it up again later in life. Whatever happens, you are now so confident in water and that was the main reason I wanted you to take swimming lessons in the first place, so well done!
The reason we stopped swimming lessons after summer was because it came in conflict with ballet lessons, which also started in summer. You go to school in the mornings, and two afternoons a week, I take you to ballet lessons, where again you are doing really well. And I get this feedback directly from your teacher (she's also my Jazz dance teacher), how you're such a character, and you're always so happy, and that you seem to have it in you to take ballet seriously and continue to do it, and develop a passion for it, as you increase your skills. You'll be taking your qualifying exam with the Royal Academy of Dance in a couple of months and ballet classes are getting more and more serious. But from the little glimpses I get to see, I know you've come a long way since you started last year, I feel confident that you will advance to the next level with your RAD certificate and top marks.
There have been big big changes in school as well because now you are no longer in Kinder. You are in Grade 1. This came as a bit of a surprise because I was expecting you to have to go through Prep first, before having to deal with Grade 1, but your school is adjusting to the new DepEd rules, so they shifted grades and anyway, the thing is, this year you get homework nearly everyday. Some days we have to do over an hour of homework after school, and on ballet days, we do your homework in ballet school. It took, and still is, taking a bit of adjusting for you. Whereas before, all school stuff is done in school and all fun stuff is at home, now, you aren't allowed to play or watch anything that has a screen until you've done your homework. And on days (and there have been days) when you forget your homework notebook, you don't get to do any of that at all. It's a good thing you're such a good reader, and that you remember what you read fairly well because it makes studying easier, that you now need minimal supervision. I've been trying to wean you away from my actually taking charge of the homework-doing and maybe your grades will dip a little bit because of this, but at this point I think it is more important for you to learn responsibility, integrity and good study habits than to have perfect grades. I'm hoping that by next year you'll be able to do your homework completely on your own without my having to nag you about it.
That said, I must say you are doing really well in school, especially in Reading. They gave your class the Lexile test and your score says you're reading at more of a 4th or 5th grade level rather than 1st grade. But even if you're so smart, and you have interests that most of your classmates probably can't relate to yet (biology, geology, etc) you seem well liked and you have many friends. I don't really understand the inner workings of the first grade all-girls social class structure (I didn't get it back when I was in grade school, I still don't get it now) but from how I see you with your classmates in school or in the parties you get invited to, I am proud to say that you seem so comfortable with yourself that you can do your own thing by yourself if you want to (like dance to the music even if no one else is dancing) or you can sit and talk and giggle with the other girls just as easily. AND if we bring Desi with us to your classmate's parties, you make sure to include her with your friends as well so that she doesn't feel left out. And that is really a wonderful thing, that you are a good girl, a good friend, and a good sister.
You are turning out to be such a sweet, stunning, beautiful girl. So smart and fascinating, and growing, always growing, always getting better, and wiser, and cleverer, and lovelier. You have filled my heart with joy and pride for all the seven years of your life, and this is just the beginning. I know you will keep my heart overflowing with all the best things for many many more years to come. I love you my Lia Blia.
Love, Mommy
You sneaky! You sneaky sneakily sneak. In the past year, somehow as you evolved from a six-year-old to a seven-year-old, you sneakily, without my noticing, turned from a "big girl" into a young lady. How did you do it? Was it by growing your hair long? By reading so much and getting so smart? Did ballet lessons give you that extra poise and grace? Or are seven-year-olds really supposed to be young ladies already? I don't think so! But in reviewing a year of your photos, I can't help but think, Wow. Lia is not really cute anymore, because cute is for babies. Lia is beautiful. You are beautiful. (But take note, you are still my baby. You will always be. Don't forget.)
Happy seventh birthday! Seven is a very special birthday. I don't know when it became special. It wasn't special when your Dad and I were kids. We didn't get to have big parties, and certainly didn't get to have a special seventh birthday trip. Now all your friends who are turning seven are having big parties for all their friends. You've been attending birthday parties nearly every week since the year started. But last year, we gave you a choice on how to celebrate your special seventh birthday, between a party or a trip to Hong Kong Disneyland, and of course you chose the trip. And we've all been looking forward to going to Hong Kong Disneyland since that decision.
We've been very lucky to have been able to take our whole family on this trip. Just us, Daddy and me, you three kids, and Ate Weng to help take care of the three of you. And we not only got to go to Hong Kong Disneyland, we got to stay at the Disney Hollywood Hotel. AND we got to spend your actual birthday day in Ocean Park Hong Kong! Which, if you don't mind my saying, seems to have been a bigger hit with you kids (and us adults) than Disneyland was. Thrilling as it was to see all your favorite Disney characters alive and in person, and getting to ride all those exciting rides, I think you loved Ocean Park more because of the animals and all the things you could learn about them. True to form, you loved to read all the signs that described all the fish, and jelly fish, and the pandas, and the rainforest animals. If only we had more time, and there were less people rushing about, you would have stopped to read every single sign, and came away with an encyclopedic knowledge of every single creature in Ocean Park. So, I have a feeling we'll be going back there someday.
This past year you got to learn to do a lot of new things. Last summer you took swimming lessons here at the village "country club". And your coach was so impressed by you, that even if you had only learned to swim the month before, he told you to enter in the 5-6 year olds category of freestyle and breaststroke against kids who had been taking swimming lessons for many months ahead of you. And of course you know, you got third place medals in both categories! Ok, there were only 6 of you competing, but still, medals are medals, and swimming is not an easy thing to learn. I must say that back in summer, while you had your twice weekly lessons, you had better form than I ever had. Unfortunately we stopped your lessons at the end of summer and whenever we get into a pool for fun swimming, you don't seem to want to do your proper strokes anymore. So maybe that's the end of your competitive swimming career. Or maybe you'll take it up again later in life. Whatever happens, you are now so confident in water and that was the main reason I wanted you to take swimming lessons in the first place, so well done!
The reason we stopped swimming lessons after summer was because it came in conflict with ballet lessons, which also started in summer. You go to school in the mornings, and two afternoons a week, I take you to ballet lessons, where again you are doing really well. And I get this feedback directly from your teacher (she's also my Jazz dance teacher), how you're such a character, and you're always so happy, and that you seem to have it in you to take ballet seriously and continue to do it, and develop a passion for it, as you increase your skills. You'll be taking your qualifying exam with the Royal Academy of Dance in a couple of months and ballet classes are getting more and more serious. But from the little glimpses I get to see, I know you've come a long way since you started last year, I feel confident that you will advance to the next level with your RAD certificate and top marks.
There have been big big changes in school as well because now you are no longer in Kinder. You are in Grade 1. This came as a bit of a surprise because I was expecting you to have to go through Prep first, before having to deal with Grade 1, but your school is adjusting to the new DepEd rules, so they shifted grades and anyway, the thing is, this year you get homework nearly everyday. Some days we have to do over an hour of homework after school, and on ballet days, we do your homework in ballet school. It took, and still is, taking a bit of adjusting for you. Whereas before, all school stuff is done in school and all fun stuff is at home, now, you aren't allowed to play or watch anything that has a screen until you've done your homework. And on days (and there have been days) when you forget your homework notebook, you don't get to do any of that at all. It's a good thing you're such a good reader, and that you remember what you read fairly well because it makes studying easier, that you now need minimal supervision. I've been trying to wean you away from my actually taking charge of the homework-doing and maybe your grades will dip a little bit because of this, but at this point I think it is more important for you to learn responsibility, integrity and good study habits than to have perfect grades. I'm hoping that by next year you'll be able to do your homework completely on your own without my having to nag you about it.
That said, I must say you are doing really well in school, especially in Reading. They gave your class the Lexile test and your score says you're reading at more of a 4th or 5th grade level rather than 1st grade. But even if you're so smart, and you have interests that most of your classmates probably can't relate to yet (biology, geology, etc) you seem well liked and you have many friends. I don't really understand the inner workings of the first grade all-girls social class structure (I didn't get it back when I was in grade school, I still don't get it now) but from how I see you with your classmates in school or in the parties you get invited to, I am proud to say that you seem so comfortable with yourself that you can do your own thing by yourself if you want to (like dance to the music even if no one else is dancing) or you can sit and talk and giggle with the other girls just as easily. AND if we bring Desi with us to your classmate's parties, you make sure to include her with your friends as well so that she doesn't feel left out. And that is really a wonderful thing, that you are a good girl, a good friend, and a good sister.
You are turning out to be such a sweet, stunning, beautiful girl. So smart and fascinating, and growing, always growing, always getting better, and wiser, and cleverer, and lovelier. You have filled my heart with joy and pride for all the seven years of your life, and this is just the beginning. I know you will keep my heart overflowing with all the best things for many many more years to come. I love you my Lia Blia.
Love, Mommy