Crystal Kay Marie

And now for my oldest daughter:

Crystal Kay Marie

Age: 5

DOB: 2/10/06

Favorite Colors:  pink and purple

Favorite Food:  oranges and butter and jelly sandwiches

Favorite Activity:  playing house

Favorite sport:  gymnastics

Interests:  Disney princesses, baby dolls, barbies, and fashion

How she chose her new name:  When she decided she wanted a new name (her choice, not ours) she chose Crystal after my Grandma Snyder and her Great Grandma Snyder, Crystal Joy Snyder.  She chose it because "she loves Great Grandma a lot and because it's a 'snazzy' name."  She then told us she chose "KayKay" as her middle name after my sister (whom they call Aunt KayKay) because she loves her so much too.  We had to do a little persuading and drop it to "Kay."  After a few more minutes of thinking she asked if she could have two middle names since she loves Aunt KayKay but still loves her original middle name, Marie.  Again, we couldn't argue with that so now we have our Crystal Kay Marie.

Crystal is my mystery child.  It takes every neuron in my brain to read this child.  She is a five year old girl who would like to be 25 most days and completely independent.  However, some days she wants to be five months old and completely dependent.  Women!

Crystal is a very social child.  She loves to be around people all the time. The girl can't take a bath without shouting out for me every five minutes or so.  She is not content to play with her toys unless someone else is in the room.  She cannot stand to be alone.  She craves attention; she thrives on attention.  Truth be told this scares me a little bit.  We are working incredibly hard to teach her to seek the right kind of attention at the right times.  We are also trying so hard to teach her to be content with herself.

Crystal is 100% Type A.  She follows all the rules and her room is neat as a pin.  If you open her drawers you'll find everything is arranged just so.  Her dresser is neat and organized.  Her shoes are always in a perfect line.  Her toys are sorted by type in her toy bins.  She wipes out the sink after she brushes her teeth...everytime...without being told.  She rarely needs to be told to do something twice.  She really is an easy child in this regard.  You can always count on her to do her chores thoroughly and then do a few on top of that.  As a mother I appreciate this tremendously.

Crystal must always know what is next in the schedule.  She hates surprises (even good ones) and uncertainty.  It's almost as she needs to mentally sort out how each activity will be for her or how she wants each activity to be.  However, this has developed a control issue within Crystal.  Likely from all the uncertainty in her past, she feels the need to be in control of nearly everything.  This is Crystal's main issue.  There is a HUGE difference in liking to be in control verses needing to be in control.  Crystal can really have a negative attitude when situations, whether they be in play or in our actual schedule, don't go her way or don't go as expected.  The two mantras we always repeat for her are:  1.  Show love not hate and 2. You worry about you.  She is working very hard on this and we have noticed a big difference in her attitude when she tries.  She truly is trying and we see that.  We're very proud of that.  It tells us she understands and is trying to make a change.  God bless her little heart, as adults it's so hard for us to make a personality change.  Can you even imagine how hard it is for a child...especially for a child who has only experienced 9 months of positivity?

Crystal is a Momma's girl.  She loves her Daddy very much but she clearly needs her Momma.  She does not rest when I am away.  In fact, she often will act out whenever I have to leave.  I'm not sure if it's because she's truly sad because I've left or if she's actually mad that I left.   Nonetheless, my times away from the house without her are far and few between and are usually for necessity and not recreation.  Even when we leave the house, she must be the one to hold my hand.  If my hands are full she holds on to my pockets or purse.  If I'm in the living, so is she.  If I'm in the kitchen so is she.  I know she will need to learn that I will always come back but for now if I don't have to leave, I'd rather not.  I want her to be content.

Crystal is a fashionista.  Where Joseph is all boy, Crystal is totally all girl.  She loves to coordinate her clothes, hair ties, socks, shoes, etc.  She saves her money for the newest and coolest fashion accessories.  She dictates to me how her hair needs to be done.  She carefully chooses her body mist for each day.  When she's dressed and ready she poses in front of door and asks "How beautiful am I today, Mom?"  In our new house this girl will need the biggest closet.  Even when she colors, nothing is ever the color it's supposed to be but rather the color she feels it ought to be.  For her, the more color the better and the brighter the better.  Soon, she'll be giving me fashion advice.  She loves to sit at night and do my hair and put on my make-up.  Once she's done, she'll wipe it off and start all over.  She's already counting the years until she's 13 so she can wear make-up too.

Crystal has a memory like a steel trap.  She doesn't forget anything.  This will serve her well in schooling.  Because she had a late start in the education domain she was behind her peers at the start of kindergarten.  In just six months she has already caught up to them and has surpassed them in math.  She is truly a whiz with numbers.  She already understands the concept of addition and subtraction...thanks to the wonderful Disney Princess flashcards and workbooks (thanks, Zia!).  She also memorizes songs, rhymes, stories, etc.  The only caveat is that she only remembers what she is interested in...typical child!

Crystal will go far in life.  She has excellent organizational skills and the foundation of good leadership qualities which once refined will allow her to lead with love and grace.  She also has the desire to do well.  This means so much in life.  Without desire, your skills mean nothing.  She will be something wonderful.  For now, she's my wonderful child.