Every day I come home from school and see a little blonde girl with the longest, darkest eyelashes singing her heart out in the front bay window…then she jumps down and hides in the living room when I pull in so that we can play hide and seek. That little girl is our third baby, the “middle” child turned natural born leader.
Pearl was named after the spitfire “imp” or elflike child borne of Hester Prynne’s adulterous act in The Scarlet Letter. People don’t often ask where we got her name-they just seem to say “it fits her.” I often wonder if we would have named her another name, would her personality have been shaped any differently? Regardless, Pearl lives up to Hawthorne’s character who holds her head high when walking through town alongside her mother while all the townsfolk children ridicule her. She has no shame in being her mother’s daughter. I presume our Pearl will be just as stubborn when she faces challenges in the future.
Pearl was our first scheduled induction baby. I was suffering from polyhydramnios-where there is too much amniotic fluid in the sac being carried-so my doctor thought it best to take her early. We scheduled a Tuesday night and went out to Tia Helitas for the last good supper we would eat for a while. Claire and Leo were excited, as were my parents. In fact, everyone came up to the hospital around 8-9pm thinking after I was induced, she would arrive. My friends were even there watching my parents square dance. It was quite a party-until I had an allergic reaction to the antibiotics. I felt like ripping my hair out so then I received Benadryl and grew calmer. Afar a few hours everyone left and I was not getting anywhere soon. My water finally broke around 3 am, and then she arrived, “full of piss and vinegar,” my dad would say. She didn’t cry for a moment which terrified us all, but soon that shrill filled the room. Paul went over to talk to her and she immediately stopped crying. My mom will tell you it was quite a sight-a dad’s voice being recognized immediately. They share quite a special bond. She is Paul’s mini-me.
This year she started Montessori school and has fallen in love with learning. Lately she has been coming home and teaching us sign language-she says she remembers it as a baby, too, then shows me the sign for “more.” Her teachers say she is the social butterfly and tends to play with the boys more than the girls in class. We hear about her special friend, Brooks, daily, as he is the name of every baby and stuffed animal on her bed. I cannot wait to meet this guy at her party!
She has another special friend called Miss Carla. They’ve been inseparable since Pearl was almost 6 months old. Carla and Peal have tea parties, eat out to lunch, pretend, and enjoy doing art projects together. We have been so lucky to have Carla enter our lives when she did to care for Pearl.
As a sibling, she loves doing what the older kids do, even if that gets her into trouble. She is mischievous but always asks for forgiveness after she realizes what she did wrong. Jumping on the trampoline is one of her favorite things to do with the big kids, but that ends in someone being upset or hurt, so bike riding has been her latest adventure in the neighborhood.
When you ask Pearl what she wants to be when she grows up it she is definite and confident in her answer. “A fairy,” she states, putting her hand up as if to say stop, this is it, and I will become this creature no doubt about it. I am sure she will be a theatre major-her performances are outstanding! If you have not seen one, check our bay window-that’s her in the fairy wings, leprechaun headband, Frozen dress with wand, and ballet slippers. It’s likely she will be singing a self-written song about babies and school and animals. You should stop and listen if you have time or wave as you’re going by. Happy 4th Birthday, Pearl Marie!
