I haven’t blogged about Ms Rs birthday yet. Mostly because it was a really wonderful day and I know that my ability to recreate events into words won’t do the day justice. At the moment it is still colourful and animated. Once I write it down it will just be a list, black on white.
When I woke up she was curled up in my arms much the same way as she’s always slept with me. Amazingly despite having grown from a skinny 7lb baby to a rather tall five year old she still fits. It still surprises me three years on that Master R just doesn’t fit at all in my arms the same way she does, he never has. He and I have a far more complicated cuddle way of sleeping. Master R joined us for a four way waking up cuddle and then he and Ms R went downstairs to open her cards.
When we were all up Ms R opened her mountain of presents. She got some lovely stuff from her friends; books, things to make and paint, play-doh, ponies etc. A big Barbie horse and carriage from her cousins and some Baby Annabell bedding and bed canopy from us. Once Daddy had gone to work we set about putting the canopy up and new bedding on and it has transformed her room into a very pink place. Oh yes, there’s no hiding the fact we have a five year old girl living in this house. We took photos including lots of Baby Annabell appreciating it all.
We went off to Nanas house where we met my Mum. Master R recieved his pedalless bike as his present from my parents which took me a while to put together and Ms R got a box set of books from Nana as well as some big money in a card and a Baby Annabell sheep rocker from my parents. We all sang Happy Birthday to her so she could blow the candles out and then we removed two of the candles and repeated the process for Master R. She looked truely happy, it has been hard for her having the last birthday in a row of three and although she’s done lots of graciously giving presents and enthusiastically singing Happy Birthday she has had the odd moan to me about it. 
Mum and Ms R went to the fish shop to buy fish, plants, backing picture and ornament while Master R and I dashed to the post office to collect a birthday parcel (from Viv). It felt nice to be on a mission with just Master R and we got home just minutes before they did. Ms R had chosen just two common goldfish, a yellowy-orange one and an orange one so we introduced them to the tank, had tea and admired presents.
After that we went swimming. Both children love swimming and have been asking to go for ages. Ms R wore her life-jacket thing so was completely independant in the water including jumping in. Master R took longer to feel confident but was jumping in and going under by the time we were ready to get out. When we’d finished in there we went to the shops to spend birthday money. Master R chose some cars and Ms R spent a long time sat on the floor with various Barbie combinations spread around her trying to choose which ones to buy. A single basic Barbie isn’t hugely expensive but she wanted a whole extended family of them and for some reason children and men are more expensive.
We dropped Mum home and then went home ourselves for dinner. Daddy came home in time for birthday cuddles and to hear about her day and she sat down with him while Master R had his story. Master R fell asleep quickly so we laid in her newly decorated bed together and watched her new fish swim around. She fell asleep just before the time she was born five years earlier. Interestingly this year is the first year I haven’t felt compelled to relive the pain and horror of her birth.