Six!
Ingrid is two and a half! At least, that's what we told her every day around her birthday because she had promised us she'd stay two and a half forever.
But no, she insist on being six. She finally lost two teeth right before her birthday to prove it.
We dashed outside in pajamas on the evening of August 12 to take this picture. It was either that or move ten blocks.
Ingrid may have the most interesting character of all the kids. The surface is all candy-colored rainbows but her deeper traits are solid. And she has been who she is from the beginning. She's infinitely stubborn, but not in a loud protest sort of way, just a quiet smile and go back to doing whatever the heck she feels like doing sort of way. She tells us absolutely nothing about her day but if you ask for her opinion, hold on to your socks, because she's going to give it to you. She's the most reserved but far from humorless. Her ability to focus is incredible -- she's the only kid who can tune out the chaos of the other kids when she's working -- but can be a total dingbat when it comes to minding her surroundings. She'll be a neurosurgeon who can never find her car. They say "give me the child until he is seven...." but I'm pretty sure we can go ahead and sketch Ingrid in ink at six.
Ingrid spent the entire summer running around with the girl squad on our block. We had at least two extra daughters most of the time, which was sometimes fun and sometimes more chaos than I was really in the mood for. Unfortunately, she has been so busy doing things with her friends that she often lacks the time or energy to be a pleasant or cooperative person at home. Little bit of teenage attitude and drama this summer.
She holds her own with Henry, dotes on Fritz, and is alternately Heidi's best friend and her tormentor. The dominant sibling dynamic has shifted from the two big kids to the sisters. She was great with Heidi on the road trip, but when we're back at home and there are cooler people around, the little sister gets kicked to the curb. Sometimes the girls get up together and come downstairs holding hands after spend half an hour sweetly chattering about Things, and sometimes they badger and harass each other all day. Heidi can be insane and taxing but it's usually Ingrid doing the needling. The sisters relationship seems fraught to me; advice from loving sisters welcome.
So the child drives us bonkers sometimes. And sometimes she's so wonderful I think she will be the very best adult and I want to be friends with her. She's the most internally motivated and never tells me she is bored. There is always something she is interested in doing (I appreciate that she likes crafts and cooking with me) and works really hard on everything she decides to do. She is the BEST at holidays. Absolute, genuine delight at everything she gets and un-jealous appreciation for everything everyone else gets. For someone who loves lovely things, she shows a remarkable lack of acquisitiveness or envy. She is seldom effusive but loves small delights -- new markers and lavish gifts and fresh flowers all produce the same response. She also takes awhile to let things sink in and doesn't make a show of adopting them as her own. Note the interview answers below. Henry and Heidi show loud enthusiasm for new things but their love passes quickly. Ingrid gives me the side-eye when I suggest (ahem, force upon her) a new restaurant like Quang or a new chapter book like Little House, but if she decides after consideration that they're okay, she will admit (only upon direct questioning) that they have become her favorites.
The day to day . . . Ingrid was a little fish at the pool this summer. Lessons in June went really well and she developed more confidence in the water, and at least theoretical knowledge of freestyle and backstroke, though I've never seen her use them voluntarily. It took until August to work up the courage to try the diving board and big slide, but once she did it, we couldn't keep her off! This was her very first time off the board, and you can see she's nervous, but she had decided to do it and didn't even hesitate at the end.
She's into dolls again. Grandma very benevolently bought Ingrid a new American Girl doll for her birthday after the previous one met an untimely end (at the hands of above-mentioned neighbor girls) and now Julie goes everywhere with us and has her outfit changed several times a day.
Class assignments just came out and Ingrid got the same first grade teacher than Henry had. She is very excited about this and I think it's a good fit for her -- probably a better fit than it was for Henry. So far we only know one friend in her class, but she seems to make new friends easily, or at least doesn't care if she doesn't know anyone, so I'm not too worried.
I'm also working on fall activities -- Ingrid wants to try gymnastics instead of dance, has no interest whatsoever in doing soccer again, and wants to do winter swim lessons with an eye to being on the swim team next summer. The mere thought of this warms my heart but I remain skeptical. Not so into sustained physical exertion, this child. Art remains her first love. The markers and craft supplies are all over the house. Our contractor said we had the most beautiful x-board he'd ever worked on.
For her birthday, we had the traditional breakfast of chocolate oatmeal with candles in it. She cheerfully wore the birthday hat and appreciated my flowers. Then dinner at Grandma Carol's with family presents -- many artsy things and a lot of Mercy Watson books, which she loves.
We had her friend party at Pump it Up. It was a little painful for me to book the indoor, neon-light, artificial warehouse for our family's one summer birthday, but there's no use trying to persuade Ingrid. Plus it was insanely easy and the kids had a blast. The invite list included two friends from her old preschool, four from her kinder class, and four from the neighborhood, plus siblings and cousins. She makes friends much like I did/do, which is acquiring just a couple of very good friends from each phase, and has no inclination to invite her entire class just to bulk up the attendance numbers. Fourteen in all and she couldn't have been happier.
Eighty percent of the gifts involved unicorns, rainbows, art, or rainbow unicorn art. Ingrid's people know her well.
And now, the birthday interview!
What is your favorite color?
What is your favorite food?
What is your favorite dinner that we cook at home?
What is your favorite treat?
What is your favorite subject in school?
What is your favorite thing to do on weekends?
What is your favorite movie?
What is your favorite tv show?
What is your favorite book?
What is your favorite song?
What is your favorite restaurant?
What is your favorite vegetable?
What is your favorite fruit?
What is your favorite place to visit?
Where do you WANT to visit some day?
Who is your best friend?
What’s your favorite thing to do with Henry?
What’s your favorite thing to do with Heidi?
What's your favorite thing to do with Fritz?
- Pink
- Cupcakes
- Mac and Cheese
- Lollipops
- Choice time (Shopkins)
- Play with my mom
- Princess Bride
- Animaniacs
- Little House in the Big Woods
- Baby (One More Time) -- old school Britney!
- Quang
- None
- Apples
- Jamaica
- Africa
- Rachel and Allie
- Nothing
- Nothing
Everything
- Cuddle
- Play
- Dentist
- Multiplication
- Making art
- A pet unicorn
- Nothing
- Friend Julia who moved far away
- That my pet fish died
- Coloring. Going to the pool. Seeing my friends. Going to the pool with my friends.
- Every single unicorn came here so I could keep a pet. If I lost a tooth and the tooth fairy would come in the day. Eat cupcakes and cookies.
- I want to be a teenager, like twelve, and play with my teenager friends.
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