My Darling Daughter

Here is my darling daughter, Mika, sporting a lovely new haircut. She loves it. Can't you tell?

My first child. She came into this world after a VERY long labor (78 hours). I wasn't ready to be a mother even though she was planned. I was terrified I'd be a horrible mother (and in some ways I was in her early years) and that I'd ruin her for life. Fortunately, I don't think I have thanks to the help of ACA.

As a baby, Mika craved and needed closeness 24/7. She wasn't happy unless she was held. Out of necessity I learned to use a sling which ended up being where she spent nearly all her time. As a warm child, she could never wear layers or warm clothing, especially in that sling, or she'd end up covered in a heat rash. (I received many looks and even some rude comments over her lack of warm layers when out in the cold weather.) She's still like that today.

As she grew, we realized that she was smart. One day, before she was two, Scott took her out in the stroller. She liked to count but little did we know she could count up to ten. Up until that day, all she knew was to three. At the age of 4 1/2 she wanted to go to school with her friend who was 9 months older than her. Of course, with a birthday clear into January, she wouldn't be allowed to start that year. She settled for asking me to teach her to read. I had no clue how to teach a child to read so I picked a couple of workbooks I found at Costco: alphabet, numbers (k-2 math skills), phonics, and handwriting. We worked through the alphabet, numbers and phonics books and she was reading in no time. When it came time to start kindergarten, she knew more than most kindergartners do by the end of the year. I sought to get her started in first grade, skipping kindergarten. The school district wouldn't talk to me. Knowing how bored she would be, we continued homeschooling.

She's seven now. I can't believe I have a seven year old! How time flies! Mika has grown up to become one terrific young lady. She is loving and caring. She is extremely social and loves almost anyone. Despite our many outside activities (Awana, church, gymnastics, swimming lessons, homeschool field trips/classes, and outings to kid-friendly places), she still craves more time with other kids. Unfortunately not a single child lives on our block so scheduled activities will have to suffice. It is my hope to move to a neighborhood full of kids as soon as we can. The blessing that has come from this, though, is that she is extremely close to her little brother. They play together well and she is a wonderful big sister (and little mommy) to both brothers.

She loves reading and has been a reader since she first learned how. She also enjoys countless virtual world type games like Barbie Girl and Webkinz. She also plays the Sims and is learning to play Civilization with her Dad. She believes you can never have enough stuffed animals especially if they are horses, cats, dogs, or any kind of wild cat. Keeping the stuffed zoo under control is an ongoing issue...she's buying yet another with her allowance as soon as she can manage to get me to take her back to the mall. She loves real animals too. Her greatest love is horses, especially mustangs. Some day, I'm sure she'll own a few. Her goal is to become a vet. I believe she'll be an awesome vet and her clients will be blessed to have the most caring one on the planet.

She's a great kid!