"My Trial"

(Trial with her rabbit Peter.)
Today is PWP #2's BIRTHDAY! Around here she is more affectionately known as our "trial in life"!
You see, while born full term, she had neo-natal apnea and stayed in NICU for 10-agonizing-days, before being sent home on liquid caffine. At three months she developed pneumonia and had another hospital stay. My mother-in-law's theory is "because she had to fight for life, she'll always be a fighter." And I think I agree.
She started throwing temper tantrums at 6 months and I seriously believe she thinks that her mission in life is to prove she's more stubborn than me- and a lot of times she succeeds in that mission.
She is absolutely un-punishable. No matter WHAT or HOW you punish, she doesn't care, she'd rather be punished than comform to someone else's way. As you can guess, we have a lot of power struggles around here and she probably doesn't hear her good traits as often as she should. (She's gonna have major middle child syndrome) So seeing as how it's her birthday -9 big ones- I decided to post those good traits for the world to see, and let you get to know her a little better, and maybe prove that I really do love her and DON'T ALWAYS want to throw her out the window.

I love her smile. It is my sunshine. She can light up a room with that little grin.
She is very nurturing, she really is "Mommy #2" in our house. She thinks she can take care of her little sisters better than I can. (Yesterday when PWP #4 spiked a fever, she sat on Trial's lap for two hours.)
She is a great helper. She loves to do things for others. (Not the chores I want help with, but anything that I don't ask her to do she'd volunteer for in a heartbeat.) She loves to help siblings with little chores or craft projects etc. and she'll vacuum grandma's house any day of the week.
She's very friendly. She's fun to play with and she makes friends SO easily. One day when we were living in New York City, she was about 5, we were on a Manhattan subway and a 20 something, very serious faced black man with the full "gangster handkercheif" football sports jacket and ripped jeans (who was literally carrying a boombox on his shoulder) got on with a girl who was probably about 4. Within 2 min. my Trial was sitting right next to them, and had that little girl laughing and playing hand games with her until our stop. The man kept looking at me surprised she would even venture near them and all I could do was smile back.
She is very bright, and is doing pretty well in school.
She is very athletic, she can beat her older brother, and all his friends, in a footrace any day. (She can probably run faster than her parents) She's a natural at tumbling. When PWP #1 was in gymnastics, she used to come home from his practises and show him how to do what he'd just been taught.
She loves church and asks to come with me to Young Women's every week.
She loves music, she has started to learn to play the piano and she is a Hannah Montana fanatic (I know what 9 year old girl isn't?) She's always dancing around the house with my microphone singing Best of Both Worlds or The Other Side of Me. (Side note: How pathetic is it that I can sing ALL of them word for word?)
She is very strong willed and determined. She can accomplish ANYTHING she sets her mind to?

Now if I could just convince her to use her powers for good instead of heading towards the Dark Side. If she'll be as stubborn with drug dealers, frisky boys, or peers who want her to skip school or sneak out- I'd have world's perfect angel! And she'll make a great RS Pres. someday! Well, in the meantime:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEETIE!!!! I love you!!!



(Post Note: The two youngest PWP's decided to come down with the flu yesterday, so I need to add Understanding and Patient to the list. Trial agreed, without any whining or dirty looks, to postpone her big birthday dinner to next weekend, so that her sisters can get well today and still be able to come. Pretty good for a 9 year old if I do say so myself!)