First Haircut

Dear Mackenzie,

One of your most impressive traits is the way that you handle everything like a boss! Whether it's going to the doctor for a shot, playing amid crashing waves in the ocean or starting your first day of school, you are always super confident and brave. Today, I took you to a salon for your very first haircut and you were so cool and unfazed, as if you have been getting haircuts for your entire life. You walked into the shop, sat in the fun convertible-shaped chair and just chilled and watched Peppa Pig on the TV while the stylist trimmed and blow-dried your hair. There was not even the slightest flinch. May you always look new experiences in the face like this and be like, bring it!

By the way, your newly trimmed hair is supes cute!

Love,

Mom

Me and U

Dear Mackenzie,

You woke up at 6:30am this morning and all morning, you asked me, "Is it school time? Is it time to get ready?" I love that you love school so much!

In other cute news, when I read you an alphabet book before school, I pointed out the letter u and said, "That's u." You replied, "That me?"

Love,

Mom

Pop It Up

Dear Mackenzie,

You love your junk food! You will never turn down chips or pretzels and you especially love popcorn. In fact, we went to the zoo today and I think that's all you ate! Before we left the house, you had maybe two bites of strawberry babka. Daddy packed a cheese quesadilla for you to eat at the zoo but I think you had maybe two bites of that as well. However, we met up with three different families at the zoo today, all three families bought bags of popcorn at various points throughout the day and you had several fistfuls of popcorn from each one of their bags! When Uncle David bought his popcorn, you kept holding out your snack cup for him to pour more popcorn in it. When Atina bought her popcorn, you kept holding out your hands for her to pour some into them. And when Connie gave you popcorn, you shoved your two handfuls of it into your mouth like a rabid squirrel. Hahaha!

Love,

Mom

Second Day of School!

Dear Mackenzie,

You rocked your second day of school as much as you rocked your first! When we arrived at school, your classmate Winston was already there and you walked over to him and showed him your Frozen backpack (you love your new backpack and even stopped on the way to school at one point to take it off and admire it). Then you reached for his hand and held it! So sweet!

When the teachers came out to bring you all inside, two of your classmates started crying but you just calmly walked into the hallway and looked at the crying kids with a slightly confused look on your face. It was like, guys! Why are you crying? There are toys inside!

Two other cute moments from today were when we were leaving the house and you exclaimed, "I forgot my school sign!" and when I picked you up and you exclaimed, "I forgot my chocolate!" I had to explain to you that the first-day-of-school sign and special chocolate treat from your teacher were just for the first day of school! Haha!

Love,

Mom

First Day of School!

Dear Mackenzie,

Today was your first day of school!! And after all those days of watching your older siblings go to school every morning, you were more than ready to do it, too! When we visited your school last week to meet your teachers (JieJie and Second GuhGaw went to the same nursery school and now you get their same teacher) and see the classroom, you had so much fun playing with the toy kitchen and toy food that you didn't want to leave so you could not wait to go back today. You woke up at 7am--when your usual wake-up time is closer to 9:30/10am--and kept asking me, "Is it time to go? Can we get ready? We go outside now?" Oh man, it was a looooong four and a half hours! Finally, at 11:30am, we left the house and walked to school. We still got there 10 minutes early and you kept saying, "I want to go inside. Can I go inside?" When your teacher finally opened the door, you walked straight in, looking back at me only once with a sweet smile on your face. I watched as you dutifully walked down the hallway and followed the teacher's instructions to wait on a colored circle. Not a tear, not a frown, not even (ahem) a wave or hug goodbye for your mama!

When I picked you up at the end of the day, your teacher said you had had a terrific day and acted as if you'd been there for years. You said you liked it and "colored and played with toys and ate a snack." You also liked the bag of Hershey's Kisses your teacher gave you as a first-day treat and promptly unwrapped and practically inhaled two of them! (You would have eaten the remaining three, also, but I wouldn't let you!) 

I'm so glad you had such a good day at school, Kenziebear! And I can't believe you have already started school! I really do feel as if Second GuhGaw was just in the same class but that was actually already four years ago!

Love,

Mom

Like A Baby

Dear Mackenzie,

This morning, you asked me, "Mama, can you hold me like a baby?" And of course I scooped you up and cradled you in my arms. I will hold you like a baby as long as I can, sweetheart, as long as I can!

Love,

Mom

Cookie Butter Monster

Dear Mackenzie,

You have a huge sweet tooth, just like your mama! You love cookies and candy and are always asking for chocolate. You hate peanut butter (just like JieJie) but you loooooove cookie butter! You always ask for a scoop of cookie butter on a spoon and when I give it to you, you lick the spoon clean!

Love,

Mom

The Best Ever

Dear Mackenzie,

Mackenzie-isms from this weekend:

-When you wanted to pick at a pimple on my face, I told you not to because it would hurt and you replied, "It gone be fine. It gone be fine, Mama."

-When JieJie and Second GuhGaw were arguing, you ran into the room and yelled at them, "Guys! Stop fighting! Stop fighting!"

-When I was dressing you, I put a pair of Second GuhGaw's shorts on you and you said, "I want to be a girl, Mama! I want to be a girl! I not a boy!"

-You were pretending the bench at the foot of my bed was your car and told me, "I go get go-sees." I asked, "Goat cheese?" You shook your head no. "Ghost pee?" Nope! I asked you what "go-sees" look like and you said, "Apples, bananas, bao-bao." Ohhhhhh! Groceries! Not ghost pee, haha!

-Yesterday, I showed you pictures of me when I was still pregnant with you and commented on the fact that you were so tiny, you could fit inside my stomach. Today, I told you to finish your milk so that you will grow bigger and you said, "I don't want to grow bigger because then I too big to fit in your stomach! I want to go in your stomach! Can I go in your stomach?"

-When we were cuddling in bed last night, you looked up at me and said, "You the best ever." Awww! You're the best ever, little girl!

Love,

Mom

Envious

Dear Mackenzie,

All of your siblings went through it and now you are, too: the stage where you keep talking about your genitals. It's totally normal, especially since you are potty trained now and noticing every time you use the bathroom that there are, you know, parts in between your legs. I realized we had to have a conversation about it when you were on the potty the other day and asked me, "Mama, do I have a peanuts?" Peanuts? Hahaha, you meant penis! I'm sure you heard that word from one of your brothers. I explained to you that boys have penises and girls have vaginas and now whenever you use the bathroom, you ask me, "Boys have penises and girls have 'ginas?" Today, though, you started saying, "I want to have a penis! Can I have a penis? I have a penis!" You even attempted to stand up and pee like you've seen your brothers do! Oh, dear. Now that is where you differ from JieJie because I don't remember her having penis envy!

Love,

Mom

Yum Yum Yum

Dear Mackenzie,

Cute Mackenzie-isms from today:

"I love straw-bees. They are yum yum yum." (said while rubbing your tummy)

"I need hair tie so you can see my boo-ful face." (whenever you ask me why I'm tying up your hair, I reply that I want to see your beautiful face!)

You: Are you hung-ee?

Me: Yes. Are you going to cook dinner for me?

You [looking at me with big eyes and your hand on your chest]: I just a kid! I can't cook dinner! I just a kid! I not a mom.

Love,

Mom