This week has been a special week. The OddDaughter turned 7.
Gosh, time has gone so fast. Maybe too fast.
I loved her the minute she was born, even with her tiny little cries… as she realised she was stuck with me as her dad. I remember holding her for the first time and trying the whole skin-to-skin contact thing, as apparently that’s good even for dads. I didn’t take into account how my chest hair might feel to her.
Needless to say, she wasn’t comfortable.
I loved watching her first steps in winter, and very soon she experienced walking – and falling – in snow. Just like her old man.
I loved speaking to her like she was my therapist when driving her to and from nursery. She’s always had a knack for saying the right words. And now, seeing her reading and writing, I just know she’s going to influence a lot of people with powerful words as she gets older.
President of the World in 2066? How hard can it be? Look at the person running the United States!
I love how the main way to transport her was to carry her on my shoulders. She always appeared to be comfortable. Carrying her was a privilege. It’s been a long time since I last carried her on my shoulders. By the end of it, I believe it was me encouraging her to be carried in such a way… even if it caused the occasional muscle pull.
I love how on her first trip to Australia as a 4 year old, we both sat in our seats on the plane and picked all the movies and tv shows that we were going to watch and barely left our seats for the entire 27 hours.
In fact, I love how she has a love for the cinema, just like me. One of my favourite things to do in life is to go watch movies in the cinema with her. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a movie I want to watch or not, I just love sitting there scoffing popcorn with her.
I love how excited she was to become a big sister, the responsibility she took almost immediately, and the joy she had in holding her little brother as much as she could. She made life so easy for us with our expanding family by helping us when we needed that little bit of extra support. And she’s got all of that to come again very soon.
I sometimes take for granted just how young she is, having high expectations of her. I’m honestly so proud of her. But I need to remember she is just a kid.
I love how when she comes into our bed in the middle of the night she’ll snuggle up close to me and give me the warmest hug ever. Sure, I’m supposed to take her back into her room, but one day she’ll stop coming to us in the middle of the night and I’ll miss these moments so, for now, I allow her to stay.
I love how in the morning on weekends, when both her and the OddSon are in our bed, they laugh and giggle together whilst Mrs OddFather and I try to get a few minutes extra sleep. The two of them are like cat and mouse, but the love between them cannot be denied.
I love going to the playground with her. A lot of parents may sit on a bench whilst their kids play around – and there’s nothing wrong with that… but I love getting involved in the play and run around like a giant kid with the OddDaughter.
When she completed the monkey bars for the first time I couldn’t be prouder.
I love all the Daddy-Daughter dates I have with her – whether it’s grabbing a coffee/hot chocolate with her, or going for a pub meal. From a very young age the two of us used to sit in a coffee shop in the winter months – me with a cappuccino, the OddDaughter with a babyccino.
I love watching all the performances she’s been involved in – even if my enjoyment is limited to only when she’s on the stage and I’m left bored at the other moments. Seeing the OddDaughter grow in confidence assures me she’s going to be an amazing role model for her younger siblings. I wish I could say she gets her confidence from me… but I was nowhere near this confident at her age. That has to go down to Mrs OddFather and the amazing job she has done.
I love how the OddDaughter gets really invested in the Arsenal. She provided an amazing sounding board during the morning school walk when times were tense last season.
I love her creativity, whether it be colouring, drawing or creating some sort of craft thing. She’s so proud of her work, and rightfully so! She’s amazing.
Honestly, I could go on and on.
All that’s left to say is…
Happy birthday, Peanut – daddy loves you very much xxx
