Now We Are Six – A Birthday Letter

Recently, my babies – Evangeline and Arabella (in that order in the photograph) – turned six years of age. No longer babes in arms, no longer toddling toddlers, but amazing girls on the cusp of schooldom.

I wrote them each a long letter for their birthdays, and here appears an abridged, combined version.

My darling daughters

So, you’re six! Can you believe it? Such big girls now. It really doesn’t seem all that long ago that you were newborns, tiny at not quite five pounds each. You needed me for everything then, but now you’re so grown up. I do like that you still need me for so much, even though I know I have to keep letting you go, letting you grow…

Soon, you will be leaving your beloved kindergarten, having a lovely long summer holiday and then getting ready for your very first day of school. I know you’re ready. You know you’re ready. That extra year of kindergarten was worth it. You’re both so sensitive, and having that extra time to get used to being around groups of noisy, scary kids was a good thing.

I will be trying hard to hold back tears on that first day of school, knowing that it will mean finally stepping over that threshold into a new stage of life – life really will never be the same again. But then it’s always changing, anyway… I love being able to curl up with you on rainy mornings, reading with you, cuddling and chatting with you – the luxury of all that time. We can still have those times once you’re at school. It will just be after school and on school holidays, instead! Oh, and on weekends, when I will have to share you with Daddy.

My firstborn, Evie, I love listening to your animated chatter, and how you take ages to explain something to me because you want me to know every detail (hmm, methinks you do take after your mother). I love your “contrariness”, how you mark yourself out from your identical twin by often having an opposing opinion. You love challenging me, facing me defiantly – but I always know how tender and vulnerable you are inside. You’ve always been a little feisty, ever since you were a baby and would fight against being swaddled in a cotton wrap. Your tiny face would turn red and wrinkled and you would cry angrily as you forced one arm free, then another. Now, at six, you still have that fighting spirit, tempered by a beautiful sensitive nature. I love your vulnerability, and that you aren’t afraid to let me know when you’re scared or upset. I also love that you don’t give your cuddles or kisses away to me easily – it makes it even more special when you do choose to bestow them on me.

Bella, my Bella. You love being referred to as the “baby” of the family, despite being born only one minute after Evie. I’m sure that one minute will mean an awful lot in the years to come. I called you my “angel baby” when you were a newborn, as you would always go off to sleep easily, even while your sister fought noisily against her wrap. I love your peaceful energy, and the love that flows freely from your every pore. Like Evie, you are highly sensitive – you feel so much and take things very much to heart.

Girls, your crazy senses of humor make me laugh and laugh. Especially when you do squeaky talking when playing with your Angelina Ballerina mouse dolls. Bella, recently you coined the term ‘stummy’ when, after eating too much watermelon, you proclaimed, “Mummy, I have a stummy ache!”. Evie, since reading a very Australian children’s story (written by comedian Wendy Harmer), you keep throwing around the term “By jingoes!” whenever you can! I laugh ’till my stummy hurts.

I love how you play together, loudly – I often stop what I’m doing and just listen, smiling to myself. I also love that you’ve been choosing to sleep together in the one bed for the last few months. I know that can’t last (I’m sure Melbourne’s notorious January heat will put an end to it), but for now it’s lovely to see you getting such comfort from each other. Perhaps you remember sharing room in my tummy, or sharing a cot for the first few months of your lives?

I’m always saying to you, “I love looking after you, and I just love being your Mummy.” That will always be true. Sometimes I wish we could just stop time so that I can keep you as my little girls forever, but I do so love watching you grow up.

You make me so proud, and I want you to know how much I adore, admire, respect and love, love, love you.

Huge happy birthday hugs & squishy kisses from

Mummy