Seven

We had the pleasure of Ruhi's company all day yesterday, which was nice because she would have been at school, had she not woken up with bitty red spots all over her body. We visited the doctor just to make sure that it was nothing nasty or highly infectious as Anisa and Bayan also began developing spots shortly after Ruhi's appeared. Now (nearly a week later) the spots have all but disappeared and we are still not sure what they were.

Ruhi had been looking much forward to turning seven and to experiencing all the wonders that the world holds for a child exactly that age. I am not entirely sure how different they will be from a child who is exactly six but we will, no doubt, discover many of them together. In the meantime I find that I have been blessed with a daughter who is very much concerned about doing the right thing, who is patient and kind, who listens to reason and is every bit a thoughtful and sensitive soul. She is cautious, quiet and enthusiastic all at the same time. She is notoriously generous, a child who, after a field trip to a bakery - where every child was given a delectable, frosted, finger bun with sprinkles no less - saved her bun (despite the fact that classmates were gorging themselves on the ride back to school) to share with her sister. Even now, whilst wanting (and rightly so) to keep certain things separate and special and just for herself, she still shares her good fortune with others. And I am repeatedly astounded and humbled by her considerate nature.

She is confident and courageous and will try new things in her own deliberate way, even when they are scary for her, like swinging from a Tarzan rope into the deep end of the local swimming pool. She is patient with my parenting inadequacies and in her ever observant way, quietly watches and asses the world.

She adores anything related to horses or ponies and absolutely loves to sing. She has the uncanny ability to hear the tone (is that what it's called?) in music and to copy it precisely. She also has a lovely voice, a great memory (she is now correcting some of my Persian letters) and is developing into quite an artist. I can hardly wait to see what amazing new talents and interests her seventh year will bring.

We are making aprons. This is the design that Ruhi drew, using fabric markers, on the front of hers. I love how she has accessorized the cat with a neck tie, skirt, and chef's hat. Look at what amazing detail she has done for the face. The eyes are incredible!