Sanae Ishida

A crafty little atelier in a grey city

Seven

Seven?
Wasn’t it yesterday that I watched your gigantic eyes widen in fear and excitement at the start of kindergarten?
Or just last week that you learned how to walk without me holding your hands, without me hunched over as you toddled so precariously?
Surely, it can’t be eighty-four months since you became a real, breathing, human in my arms?

Seven.
You seem at once so fragile and brazen. I see glimpses of the teenager you will become, but you still smell faintly of that powdery sweet babyhood.
You have a whole intricate world you’ve created with your friends; there are more secrets (though easily spilled) and a self-consciousness. Sometimes it reminds me of how I felt when you would cry and cry as a newborn, devoid of words.
At the same time, our conversations are so nuanced and honest and full of complex ideas. You are so loving and witty and have me in stitches daily with your well-turned, unexpected phrases.
You are still a champion snuggler.
I read you books every day, just as I have since the moment you were born. But now you take the book from me after I’ve finished a chapter and read the rest of the pages yourself.

Seven!
No longer a baby, yet nowhere near an adult.
A sketched blueprint, an in-betweener, one foot planted in a magical realm and the other in reality, shrewdly observing both.

A gift in every way. That’s what you are.

Happy birthday, my seven-year-old.

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Comments

  1. Congratulations, little big K. Apparently you’re an awesome girl! And a good looking one! And well, a well dressed one, too. Enjoy your big day!

    And another little story for your mom: When my son was about four or five years old he was all into dinosaurs. One day, on our way to kindergarten, he told me, that eventually dinoraurs evolve to became birds. He stopped, looked at me and said: “there’s something wrong with this story, mom! i mean: you and i know, that birds emerge from eggs, and someone has to lay an egg, before a bird can emerge! Where’s the egg from? No Bird layed it!?” My little philosopher…

    Later this day, when i watched him sleep, i cryed a little, because that was the first day when my baby boy was a big child to me. i’ve seen him every day of his life, but in this very moment i realized that one day he will be a tall-tree-man who bend over to kiss his little mama. sigh!

    Reply

      • Oh, i re-read my comment today and i’m afraid my english is , uhmm, in great need of improvement. I hope you don’t mind!

        Marit

        Reply

  12. Happy birthday, sweet K! Your mom’s gift of words has clearly been passed along to you as we have so enjoyed reading your witty comments. And thank you, THANK YOU for putting up with all your mom’s photo shoots so willingly – what a gift to blogland you have been to us:)

    Reply

  13. Thank you, everyone, for the absolutely lovely birthday wishes – it was a very, very, very good one for K!

    Reply

  17. Beautiful! And a happy birthday, although. Your daughter and mine share their birthday month:-) She turned five, and I feel pretty much the same.

    Reply

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