My Maggie

Tomorrow Maggie turns 5.

Five years ago today, I was on my way to the hospital to be induced, after being on bedrest and then modified bedrest for 2 months. We knew we were having a girl, but we didn't know if she'd be an Emma or a Maggie. We knew she was tough, as she went through a rough couple gestational months with no ill-effects. We didn't know she'd be THAT tough.

Maggie is boisterous, hilarious, loud, creative, intelligent, physical, tough, beautiful, and perfect in every way. She drives me crazy faster than anyone but she makes me laugh more often than anyone, too. She says the craziest things; she loves telling her big sis that "I'm smart because of my naturally curly hair. Your hair is straight." She is smart, reading so amazingly well for her age. She is strong, with little legs with already defined muscles. She will run up to hug you and, not knowing her own strength or density, will knock even her dad on his behind. She's stubborn -- if she wants it, she'll find a way to get it or exhaust herself trying.

Maggie loves yellow. Yellow has been her favorite color for more than 2 years now. But, she's starting to want to wear pink with sparkles, and I don't know if it's because she wants to be big like her sister and so she thinks she needs to dress like her, or if it's because of the girls in her preschool that are pink-girls, or if she's just changing her mind. I think she's just changing her mind, because Maggie isn't one to follow the crowd...

unless they are getting into trouble. Maggie, on her own, will be a perfectly behaved child. She knows the rules and will follow them, unless someone else instigates it. Then, she'll be the second one to join in. It only takes one person to misbehave and she thinks that opens the door for her to get to do it, too. Even last night, as part of the continued battle to get Lainie and Maggie to sleep in the same room, that trait reared it's head again. After 2.5 hours of battling and one fall down the bunk-bed ladder, they finally stopped making each other laugh and fell asleep. Alone, they both would have fallen asleep within a half hour; together, it takes hours.

Maggie fights her her little sister and reveres her older sister. When she gets mad, she has a temper that can scare me (and reminds me of me.) I have seen her pin a kid bigger than her against a door or knock a kid 3 years older than her onto the ground. She gets shaking mad and turns red, but she's learned to control it a little better, as long as she can leave the situation.

Maggie doesn't feel pain like others do. Her tolerance is so high. When she's in pain, her face turns white as can be and the area around her eyes turn red. That's the only way we know she's hurting.

She is an amazing little girl and I can't wait to see her continue to grow and mature into an amazing young lady.