Well, aren’t these starting to come around at an alarming rate! We’ve had one, two, three, four and now five.

FIVE! It feels pretty big, does five.

Five years of our Sophia, five years of parenting. It has been the most extraordinary half a decade.

But what to say about our now five year old? What to say about this year?

We’ve had chicken pox (finally!) and developed a love of bubble tea. Sophia started Rainbows and she carried the flag at church parade at least twice. We visited Durham, Retford, Scarborough, Hayfield, Cemaes Bay and CBeebies World. The second Wicked film came out in November and on Good Friday and Sophia participate in the silent Hour At The Cross service. This year she’s met Glinda, Belle, Cinderella, Jasmine, Elsa (twice) and even got on well with Father Christmas! Sophia had her first planned overnight stay away from home.

The biggest thing in the last 12 months has been starting school. Sophia has taken to it like a duck to water! I know it’s not easy for everybody, but Sophia seems to be well suited to this environment (for the time being, anyway!).

But it hasn’t all been easy. The social dynamic between the kids, the girls in particular, seemed to go from nursery to nasty within just a few weeks. School sorted it all quickly though, which was great.

Sophia continues to love books and stories. She adores be read to and now…she loves reading too! We’ve always had stories as part of our daily routine, although this has changed a lot over the last five years. Nowadays, at bedtime, Aidan picks a couple of stories which she listens to, then she reads one of her books to him. Then she heads off into her room for three more stories with Daddy, which will be some combination of him and her reading.

A new thing to this year is Amber Talk. Amber is her favourite toy, a ginger monkey that her Godmother, Rosie, gave to her when she was very tiny. Since being left in Retford for a night, and being posted back along with a packet of chocolate stars, Amber has been chatting away to Sophia most days.

Amber sings ‘I LOVE choccy stars” to the tune of ‘I love Rock ‘n’ Roll’. Amber thinks Sophia is part chicken because she got chicken pox. And sometimes Sophia will tell Amber about her day when she won’t tell me! Thankfully, I am always listening in though because… *whispers* I am Amber’s voice.

One major change in our house is that we have cracked Sophia’s sleep! Or, should I say, school cracked Sophia’s sleep. I think the sheer exhaustion of school, along with after school club, Rainbows and a full weekend, just made her sleep better! It’s so good that last night, I took the stair gate down from her bedroom door. She doesn’t need it and I’m confident that after half a decade, with 2 and a half years breastfeeding, no crying it out, her needs consistently being met kindly and firmly, and a lot of gentle sleep training – we’ve done it! 

So here’s to our Sophia.

Kind, creative, funny, sassy. I maintain that nobody will tell you the truth like one of these small people – they’re articulate but are yet to develop a filter.

She is strong and passionate. She’s unapologetically herself. This year more than ever, I am determined that she is not to be squashed.

She loves to be outside, and if you ask her what she’d like to do at any point, she will usually say ‘go to the park’ or ‘go in the garden and Daddy push me on the swing’.

She’s besotted by her brother and he, in turn, adores her.

She is thoughtful and has many friends of all different ages. She loves her family, her church communities and her school.

She got a new camera for her birthday this morning and as we drove past school, she held it up and said ‘smile school!’.

Some days I just can’t get over what she’s coming out with. She’s so funny, curious and smart. And wasn’t she a baby just a little while ago? Time is a strange, strange thing.

Happy birthday to our eldest, our Sophia. Here’s to being five and all that it brings x