I can't believe my tiny baby girl is a great big 6 year old, complete with long arms and legs, all the adorable baby chubbiness gone, slim length in it's place. I really can't think of her as tiny anymore. I'm amazed when I look back through the photos and see just how much she's grown, all that she's done and the amazing individual little girl she has become. I can't help feeling a little sad too.
I hope she never outgrows cuddles and kisses, even when she's a grown woman. I hope she always carries as much energy and enthusiasm as she does now. I hope her amazing confidence is never dented.
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| Alexandra is around 10 months old in these photographs. We were on holiday at my Aunt and Uncle's on the Isle of Wight. Can't you just see Zachary in that face? |
I often comment to her now on how much she is growing and how I can't call her a baby anymore. The other day she came and curled into my arms and said 'I don't want to grow up. I want to be your baby'. I said that she would always be my baby, I just couldn't call her one anymore, but I love her more than ever. I also said 'I thought you wanted your own house so you can have everything how you want it? You have to grow up to be able to do that one day.'
'Well I do, but I want you to stay with me. I will miss you.'
'I couldn't stay with you forever because I have my own house with Daddy. Daddy would get lonely, but I could come visit.'
'Yeah! We could have a sleepover for 10 days. That's a long time.'
'I'd really like that.'
'Don't forget will you Mummy?'
'I wont forget, I just hope you don't...'
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| On her first birthday - already walking for a month at this point. |
In the blink of an eye, 6 years has passed, in another 6, she will be 12, another 6 and she will be ending her teenage years. Time moves too quickly, I hope it can slow down a little.
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| This is Sudocrem incident that took place at 16 months of age. Lesson to be learned: never leave the change bag unattended. Ever. (If she looked like this, picture if you will, the rest of the living room, the windows, the carpet on the stairs, the TV...) |
I'm also well aware how fast the Smaller Person is growing. I hope Mr Bogert and I make good enough parents that we prepare them both for real life while still maintaining a balance of the fun, imagination and innocence of childhood. I hope they enjoy their childhood with us enough to stay close when they are fully grown. I will be the mother that sits at graduations, weddings and christenings and cries.
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| My littlest hen after my Hen night dinner (around 18 months old) |
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| Mummy's prettiest Bridesmaid (sorry girls!) August 2007 |
She is doing well at school and doesn't seem to struggle with anything so far. She loves literacy and has done well in all of her spelling tests, can read at a good level unaided, and has been called out in assembly for special mention by the headmistress for her literacy sequencing skills.
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| 23 Months old |
She is in green house and has earned quite a few house points for her team over the last year of school.
She loves lasagne and has been pulled into the latest craze on the playground: Moshi Monters. She still loves drinking milk and water and never has fizzy or caffeinated drinks (there is hope for her teeth, where there is none for Mr Bogert and mine!)
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| Just before her 2nd birthday at Disney World Florida - our honeymoon. |
She takes part in some lunchtime clubs: book club on Tuesdays, recorders on Thursdays, and choir on Fridays. She asked if she could do all of these. We have never pushed her to do any of the extra curricular activitites, she just loves joining in.
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| Her 2nd birthday and her first big girl bed she got as a birthday present. |
She has earned 2 swimming badges and also attends ballet and tap lessons on a Monday after school, and freestyle and musical theatre lessons on a Saturday. She always comes out of classes bouncing all over the place, very happy with herself and the sticker she has recieved from the teacher, but when we ask her what she did, she can't remember!
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| 2 years and 3 months old already enjoying her books. |
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| 2 and 1/2 years old |
She has already gained a red rosette for Freestyle dance and won a gold medal with her troupe in a ballet competition. They did bees and flowers and she was a bee. My favourite recollection of the performance was I had been worrying that perhaps once she got on stage in front of all of these strange grown ups and other children, she would freeze or maybe get upset and try and hide. What a surprise I got. As they filed onto the stage, Alexandra held the whole line up as she stopped to give everyone a huge grin, and that grin didn't leave her face for the entire performance. She loved it, I loved watching her. She truly was made to perform.
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| First day of preschool almost 3 years old. |
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| At the end of the first day of preschool, talking to Daddy about her busy day on Mummy's phone. |
Speaking of performing, she also happens to be a drama queen. The tiniest thing can be the end of the world and the facial expressions and body language that accompany the moans and sobs would make you think that something entirely tagic has actually happened. It's probably just that the DS battery has run out and she can't find the charger. By the same token, the most amzingly exciting things happen and are retold to you with breathless, energetic expression, raised eyebrows and excessive use of words (a bit like Lola of Charlie and Lola) "It was the most wonderfulest bestest thing ever" followed by vigourous head nodding and those same raised eyebrows.
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| First Trick or Treat as the Pumpkin Witch |
She is a dreamer. I'm all for dreaming, the most wonderful creators are usually dreamers, but I do wish she would come down off her cloud at certain times like homework time, dinner or breakfast, getting ready time, you know, the times when instructions are being given and all that are returned are blank stares or her most frequent question "What did you say?". Sometimes you need the patience of a saint, unfortunately I don't have this...
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| 3rd Birthday |
She is still very creative and arty. I'm very proud of her masterpeices. She makes some wonderful things, just out of her own imagination. She draws lovely pictures that don't take any explanation of what they are. It's clear to see who her portraits are of.
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| 3 years and 10 months on holiday in Perranporth after being chosen to feed the penguins |
She reads and reads and reads. I'm so pleased she loves books. I think I would have felt a failure if she hadn't liked to read at least some books. She loves to read so much we often find half of her bookshelf strewn all over her bed when we go up to bed, and she's been reading instead of sleeping. We know she will pay for it in the morning when we get her up for school and she's so tired she can hardly work out which items of clothes are which. The thing is, and don't tell her this, but I used to do exactly the same thing, only I had one book I kept under my pillow. I was a master of quietly turning pages and reading in the least light available (from the landing and from the airport by our house through the window, curtains open).
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| Bridesmaid for a second time, this time for Auntie Simone and Uncle Ted in August 2009 |
She is the gentlest caring little person. She really cares for her brother. Loves to play with him and make him laugh. She always shares her toys with him (although we have to explain some are unsuitable because he isn't old enough), and she always shares sweets and nice things (even though you know she really wants to eat them all, seeing other people without makes her want to share more). If anyone is sad, she always wants to jump in and make them better, even if it's me or her Daddy. She can be a real little mother.
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| 4th BIrthday at Thomas Land (her last birthday at home before she started school - we always used to take the day off to spend with her, now she's not allowed the day off!) |
She can be very bossy, but this comes from her confidence and also her definite ideas in how things should be. She is a leader, not a follower. Good at times, a bit rude at others, but we're working on that. She finds it more difficult when other people (other than me or her daddy or teacher) tell her, simply because we are used to the way of dealing with her, and she's not sure of recognising anyone else's authority. It can become difficult with more than one person trying to tell her at once too: with a determined mind that struggles to focus at the best of times, other people jump in to 'help' correct her behaviour, and she literally doesn't hear them, or unfortunately us (we get lost in the multiple voices). I have found people can think she is being naughty, but truly, she just hasn't registered what was said.
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| 4th Birthday Pirate Party - the Dread Pirate Ali |
She has this amazingly quirky little character, so grown up and in charge, so caring and gentle, so creative and musical, so fun and silly, but so determined and energetic. With the energy, she sometimes forgets to wait until other people have finished speaking before she speaks (she just has to be gently reminded to wait her turn) she is just so excited to tell you something, or she just must know the answer to a question right now! She is also loud. She gets so excited the volume rises and rises until you have to say 'volume Alexandra'. In addition to "what did you say" being her most used phrase, the second most frequent to escape her lips: "Ooops, sorry!".
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| Pre-school Graduation July 2010 |
She's wonderful. If she carries on the way she is, she will never feel as shy as I did in school, she will never be afraid of saying the wrong thing or giving the wrong answer (I always was), she will have the confidence to follow the things that interest her (which seem to be performing arts), she will be able to swim (I can't, my mum can't, my nan can't), she will have many friends who feel lucky to have such a caring friend, and she will continue to achieve all she can in school.
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| Becoming a big sister |
I'm proud of my Small Person. Now, if she would just stop growing...
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| 5th Birthday Superhero Party - Wonderwoman |
Just looking through these old photos I'm reminded just how much Zack looks like Alexandra did at that age (only fairer). What pretty babies Mr Bogert and I make (I know I'm biased, but disagree with that little Alexandra face!)
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| Age 5 |
Happy Birthday to my Princess who makes all of the sweetest Wishes.
