Four

Mary woke up a four year old on Tuesday. She had been counting down the months, then weeks, then days till her birthday since around Uncle Adam's birthday in September.

She usually calls me in the morning to get her out of bed, but as she turned four at exactly 7:20 AM, she walked down the stairs to get her hug, breakfast, and confirmation that today was in fact the day.

Proud of her newfound, more senior status, she ate all of the pancakes I had made for breakfast. Before getting dressed, Daddy let her open a couple presents; a giant tattooed Maui and a more diminutive Moana doll. Then I surprised her with a new party dress for school; something to make her feel extra special in front of her class.

As I walked into Pre-School with her, I checked to make sure nothing had appeared on my calendar in the last ten minutes, assuring myself that it was okay to indulge in her day as well. About six inches of snow had fallen the night before. While local traffic was moving at a steady pace, the routine jams that snake their way from the suburbs to the city were at a stand still. As the commuters in higher offices sat in their cars, things on my calendar magically disappeared.

So I got to see Mary crowned birthday queen, and then sat down in the rocking chair on the edge of the carpet, Mary at my side, her classmates all around us. I read Mary's choice of story for the day: Moana; the Little Golden adaptation of the movie that she and Bobby adore. I read it with dramatic effect and the kids stared in awe at the fantastic images of coconut pirates, a monster crab and a lava monster.

At the end, an announcement rang out over the school's loudspeaker. It was Mary's birthday today! She blushed with pride and nuzzled into my arm as her classmates joined in singing 'happy birthday to you.'

Next, she got to unveil what she put in her 'Me Box,' the school's branded version of show and tell within the constraints of a container that might have carried stationary at one point in time. She was supposed to pick three of her favorite things, but naturally she reached for more when stuffing it. In it were:

• Ballet slippers 
• A miniature toy horse
• A photo of her family at the top of the Pittsburgh incline and another one of her hugging Snow White at Disney World 
• The pink rosary that Aunt Erin gave her for her Baptism 
• And a little paper book that Peter had made her when she was about 18 months old. 

She proudly took each item out of her box and explained their significance in her life, then passed them around the circle for her classmates to inspect a little closer.

I left shortly afterward to head to work. Mary still had a birthday smile plastered on her face, which she would keep until I returned home that evening.

Peter and I took just her out to dinner on Tuesday night. She wore her new dress and the birthday crown she was given at school. She requested sushi, so sushi she got. She ate almost all of her California Roll while I longingly looked at Peter's Hamachi and settled on my choice. She asked for another present, which she was granted when we returned home. Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo! She was Cinderella until bedtime.

Something just clicked for Mary this year; and that is that birthdays are a big deal. She saturated herself in every second of attention, greeting of 'happy birthday', and gift received.

A couple days later, as more thoughtful gifts came in the mail, Peter and I discussed how she had been acting out, that her birthday had almost gotten the better of her. I lectured her about appreciation, sharing, and eliminating her whiny tone of voice. She understood. She told Eva on Friday that when she grew up she was going to give all her toys to the poor kids. We were getting somewhere. But when Nana and Opa arrived on Friday night she went straight for the gift, and then asked Aunt Dee Dee where her present was. The points of the lecture were reinforced.

Saturday brought her party, our house transformed into a romper room, I saw Emma, and Andrew, and MJ, and a leprechaun, and Mary, cake, and ice cream, and a plastic present explosion in our sunroom.

Being four, having a birthday, inviting your whole class to a party, and opening a room full of presents is pretty amazing. And as a parent, it's hard to put it all into perspective for your little girl. Until it's time to clean up, move on, and get back to the routine, which includes sharing everything you just received.

Minus a couple moments of selfishness over the past week, I'm very proud of my four year old. Mary is a good girl, a loving girl, and a smart girl. And just as her Me Box selections described, she continues to keep her favorite things top of mind: faith and family, creativity and curiosity, a belief in a little magic and a mandate of inclusiveness.

And as for all of the presents ... we'll have to save some of them for a rainy day.

Lo.