Emerald Today

To finish the series of posts I started, oh....six months ago, this is Emerald today!!

Emerald has a flair for the dramatic. Everything she does is either the best in the whole wide world or the worst that has ever happened--there is no medium ground with anything. Luckily for the most part, she is just the happiest, sweetest little girl. Like most girls, she is wanting to grow up too fast--she is the little helper, always eager to help cook, clean, or run errands. There is no amount of individual attention that is enough, because she will continue to bask being the center of attention--a social little butterfly. School can be a struggle for her because of her flair for extremes and her sociability; she can't stop chattering, and is not shy to share her opinion!! God made her tough and brave; everyone asks me how she is handling her new diagnosis. She will proudly tell anyone, "I am diabetic now!" Finger pricks and insulin shots do no faze her in the slightest; she will frequently remind us what she needs. At first she was grouchy about limiting her sugars, but she has adapted so quickly and wonderfully, Michael and I just are so proud and amazed by her.

Emerald is 5 (and 3/4) years old; her nicknames are Em, Emmy, Emmie Lou, Pineapple, and Booger Red.

Emerald's Favorites:

Games:


Like her Daddy (and let's be honest, her mama), Emerald is a big fan of video games. I try and limit how much she plays her Nintendo DS or on the iPad, because even that sentence is ridiculous to me (what is a five year old doing with these devices?!) so that she can cultivate other interests, but she plays as much as I will allow. Her current favorite games are My Little Pony Pinkie Pies's Party for the DS and Smurf Village on the iPad.
She is exceedingly clever: she can figure out games like Angry Birds or Cut the Rope before I can and will patiently explain how to solve the puzzle, which just cracks me up. When we had a kinect, she loved playing that as well, but it is such a crude technology in its infancy, requiring much too great an area to move around, so inexact in its reading, and barely registering a girl as small as Emerald.
Another game she likes to play is Star Wars: The Old Republic, the previously mentioned PC MMORPG that Michael is a big fan of. I play it as well, and will let Emerald sit next to me; she designs and names the character, and I control movement as she picks conversation decisions and attacks. It is not the traditional "mother/daughter" activity, but she and I like it and appreciate having something to share :)

Activities: Emerald is still very much a girly-girl at heart. Playing dress-up and tea parties, holding concerts for her stuffed animals, picnics outside...generally, anything you suggest she is game for, and she adores playing pretend. She is so social that it is hard for her that her brothers are more independent; Gabriel is just generally intimidated by anyone trying to play alongside him, and Benjamin is more interested in slamming the toy around or smacking you with it than actually following rules. Hopefully I can organize more playdates for her during this summer; I still very much want to get her involved in a community center class, my only holdup being that Benjamin is too young to join anything and Gabriel is not technically "Welcome" in those classes (a fact that saddens me, despite my understanding).

TV Shows:
                

Recently, Emerald has picked up the Disney Junior shows that have been added on Netflix Instant Queue. Her favorite is JoJo's Circus and The Powerpuff Girls. She will watch whatever you put on, but she is all about girl empowerment shows; she will tell you her favorite superhero is Supergirl (Kara Kent) and loves to watch any show about comic books. The more Daddy likes it, the more Emerald is going to like it and request it--Avengers, Justice League, Batman, Star Wars, etc. Just now getting into things that are not animated, she loves any show that has horses or dogs or really any animal.

Food: If you ask her, she will tell you all about how she loves cupcakes and cakes, and all manner of "girly" foods. Dainty little pastries for her tea party, anything that looks "fancy". Realistically, she loves lasagna, pickles, all fruits (especially "juicy red apples"). She is agreeable when it comes to vegetables: she has never dug the starchy veggies like corn, peas, or potatoes (that aren't covered in butter and cheese), but fresh veggies that she can dip in ranch are a huge hit and she loves salads. Other cooked vegetables like broccoli and green beans she will tolerate. Like most kids, she is all about the hot dogs, pepperoni pizza, chicken nuggets...all that junk food that isn't all that good for you, but she is agreeable about eating what she needs to.

Movie:
  

If you ask her, it is alllll about the "girly" movies. Maybe she is at the age of real gender identification because she is motivated by what girls like and watch and read and do. Barbie movies are her favorite because her friend Brooklyn gave them to her--The Island Princess and The Diamond Castle are like chocolate to her; such a rare and special treat. The more girly, the better.

Songs: Whenever we get into the car, Emerald immediately requests classical music. I think she finds it soothing because she will just lay back and listen in bliss to what she considers "pretty princess music". In the absence of that, sound tracks from her movies, Disney songs, and seasonal music are always a hit. If it is near a holiday--any holiday--expect her to be asking for "Valentine's music" or "Christmas music".

Books:
Emerald's favorite books tend to be the ones that are about herself: scrapbooks that she had gotten from school or that I had made, "To My Daughter With Love" which is a memory book filled with facts about her; things of that nature. If it has a picture of her in it, especially as a baby, she is hooked and looks at them again and again.
As for "real" literature, she likes (once again) anything girly. She is all ready a strong reader: she can figure out most simple books on her own, and she loves to read. One of her favorite things is to look at the Star Wars book about spaceships or to go to the Comic shop and pick out her own comic. There is no telling what she will pick out, as last time she chose "Uncanny X-Force", but she always reads and enjoys it so it is a special treat for her.

Color: Of course she still likes pink the best, but she is partial to purple as well. Really she says she likes all the colors of the rainbow except "black and white and gray, because people who like those colors must be grown-up and sad". 

Flower: Daisies, all the colors of daisies, because "they smell awfully pretty".

Emerald is a tough, bright little girl. She is always the top of her class, academically, even if she is perpetually in trouble, and she excels at everything she tries. You can't help but see the world as more fun and magical and beautiful when you are with her because that is how she sees it. Her personality is so effortless easy going and loving, she can make friends with anyone, but her closest bonds have been with her great grandmothers--Grannymom, Gigi, and Grandma Pat. Anyone that has met her will tell you: she is beautiful, inside and out; growing to be a special little girl! 

--Andie