Five fantastic years!!

My dear little (big) girl, as you celebrate yet another year of blissful existence, I can’t help the bittersweet feeling of watching you grow into your own person every single day. From being a shy 3 year old who wouldn’t converse in English when we first landed in Canada, you have grown into a confident, cheerful and joyous 5 year old who can just about strike a conversation with anyone she meets. 

This year was indeed a big one for you, a year that saw you transition into the role of a big sister!! I was apprehensive about how you would react to having a sibling, given how little you are..but you surprised me throughout my pregnancy by being so wonderfully caring and considerate, in a way that only you can! From the moment we found out about the baby, you were all excited and cheerful, hoping and praying for a little sister and your prayers were indeed answered as we welcomed home little Aadya in August this year. You were my constant companion during pregnancy, feeling every movement, being so happy each time you felt a kick, talking to the baby and more importantly taking care of me in every little way you could. You understood that I couldn’t pick you anymore, that I couldn’t run around and play with you the way we did earlier.. But always remained positive and cheerful knowing what was to come. And I’ll never forget the joy on your face when I finally picked you up a few weeks into postpartum.. It was that moment that I realised my baby had indeed grown up! 

It gives me so much joy to watch you adore the baby, the way you help with all the little things at home, the ways you try to keep Aadya engaged, the times when you are super protective of her and how you always felt like you both were a team from the first day of her life. The way you’ve matured into your big sister role assures me that you’ll always watch over her and I can only hope you both grow into best friends. You also remind me often that you are still a child too when you keep a count of the number of times we kiss the baby and ask for the same number of kisses 🙂

At school, you navigated through some difficult times since we are new to the culture here but you  adapted easily like most kids do and grew in confidence every day. The 2 months of summer vacation saw you hop multiple camps where you met different people and learnt to make friends easily. Looking back, I think the summer camps helped you come out of your shell and express yourself freely. You’ve come a long way in forming friendships, learning to play together while respecting each other’s wishes and finding a common path that works for everyone. 

It is indeed heartening to see the cute, silly, prankster child in you.. The child who starts crying when she can’t find me after 5 minutes of searching in a game of hide n seek, the one who gives the warmest of hugs on the days that I’m sick.. the one who keeps pulling her grandma’s braid calling it Elsa’s braid, the kid who keeps jumping 5 steps on a staircase because walking downstairs is too mainstream.. And most importantly the child who has the ability to pick herself up and stay cheerful in every situation. We are all so lucky and blessed to have you in our lives, dear Aashvi. With each passing year, your understanding of the world around you gets better and as you try to get along with the society, I hope your innocence and cheerfulness remains intact.. And that we can offer you a childhood that you cherish!