Jersey #1

Jersey #1 is our first live-born child. Our beautiful, intelligent, creative daughter. She is a social butterfly who migrates to the crowd...where the most potential friends are available...the moment she arrives. As far as she is concerned, everyone is her friend.

She was blessed with blonde hair and light blue eyes. Her eyes are so light blue, they capture attention. She has even been given free cookies at McDonalds, just because her blue eyes delighted the cashier so much.

Jersey #1 was an incredibly easy baby. She ate well, slept well, played well, and smiled at everyone. As new parents, we were blessed to have her first, because she made all of our parenting choices easy. She did well in Mommy's care, in Daddy's care, and even in day care. To this day, we say that she would be successful no matter which schooling option we had chosen. She is an adaptable kid.

When Jersey #1 was only 6 months old, we noticed her keen memory. She only had to be shown something once, and she remembered it. This ability has grown with her to the point that she has an incredible comprehension of any book she reads. She does not forget a Bible verse that she has previously memorized. And, she has a gift for languages. She has always been a verbal child. She was identifying basic animals and their sounds at 9 months old. We assumed that was the norm, because we didn't know any better. (We later learned that none of our other children talked as well, as early).

Jersey #1 has always been in a big hurry to grow up. When she was 2 years old she climbed into the driver's seat of the van. She started crying when we told her to sit in her car seat. When we asked her what she was crying about, she answered, "I want to drive." We laughed, but she was serious. Now, at 8 years old, she is anxiously awaiting the opportunity to become a teenager.

Jersey #1 was a tall kid right from birth, but her height went off the top of the growth charts by the time she was 2 years old. She had the weight ratio to go with it, at first, so she was a BIG toddler. She wore clothes that were 2-3 sizes higher than her age. By the time she was 4 years old, her height returned to the chart, and her weight ratio was slimming fast. For the past few years, she has been holding steady with a height above the 90th percentile and weight in the 80-85th percentile. This gives her a really healthy (genetically blessed) height/weight proportion and BMI. She continues to receive a lot of attention about her height. She does suffer with some awkward strides and growing pains at times.

We have joked that Jersey #1 is going to be a lawyer, because of the way that she seeks a loophole to any rule. As a preschooler, when she was told she had to clean her plate before she could get up from the table, she promptly tossed her sandwich to the dog and then said her plate was clean. We have also joked that Jersey #1 is going to be a corporate executive because she always wants to be in charge. She looked at us with a confused expression and replied, "I don't know what that is, but I just want to be the BOSS!" As she grows, it is nice to see her use those loophole skills to find the logic behind the rules, and to see that bossiness be replaced with skills of leadership.

Jersey #1 loves to dream and create. She almost always has a journal in her arms, because she likes to write. She likes to think about things, talk about her thoughts and dreams, and write lists and notes about her thoughts. She has always enjoyed arts and craft activities, and recently took up sewing. After being shown once how to follow a pattern, she sewed a new shirt for her doll. I had no idea she could do such a thing.

Jersey #1 taught us the meaning of Princess. She is a girly-girl....to the extreme. There have been many times when The Referee has thrown up his hands in exasperation and announced to me that "she is such a girl!" She admires beautiful things and beautiful people. She has always taken great care to match up her outfits and accessories, including making sure her outfit matches the theme of the event she is attending. With her "It's all about the outfit." She will put on her basketball uniform to practice basketball, then change into her ballerina outfit to dance in the living room. She changes clothes at least 8 times a day. She went through such a big Princess phase, that she even wore her Princess dress-up clothes to church, or out to the store. She did not cry for her first haircut. She smiled at herself in the mirror. She enjoys the entire beauty shop process, and has taken to explaining her hair style wishes with the stylist herself. (Thankfully, the stylist runs every decision past me before making that first cut). At 8 years old, she is already a fan of manicures and pedicures.

On of the greatest things I love about Jersey #1 is her heart for others. She has a nurturing spirit. She is a great oldest child of a large family, because she is the best big sister to many siblings. She takes the role to super hero status, calling herself "Super Big Sister." She has been happy to help from the age of 19 months, when Jersey #2 arrived. When Jersey #2 would cry, Jersey #1 would drop whatever she was playing with on the spot, and run toward Jersey #2 yelling over her shoulder, "I got it!" She has welcomed each of her siblings into our family with open arms....and continues to ask for more siblings to arrive. She loves to hold babies (she especially loves those precious baby feet). She knows how to hold a bottle, dress a toddler, and rock a younger sibling to sleep for a nap. Actually, she knows so much about taking care of babies, that she sometimes tries to tell her Mom and Dad how to do things, forgetting who taught her in the first place. Jersey #1 will cheerfully be a companion to her own younger siblings, as well as the siblings of her peers, so they can ride the kiddie rides at the amusement park. She will climb into any playstructure to rescue a crying child, even a stranger's child. Younger children trust her, smile at her, and enjoy her care.

Jersey #1 is a sensitive child. She has a lot of empathy for others. Tears come to her eyes whenever she sees someone else crying. She doesn't want anyone to feel bad, and tries to bring comfort whenever she can. She seeks to please her parents, and is compliant to our rulse and instruction.

My biggest concern for Jersey #1 is the influence of her peers. She is at an age where the importance of the opinons of her peers is growing. Her feelings hurt easily. She wants to identify with the same likes and dislikes of her friends. I worry about her being poorly influenced, and not having the strength to take an opposing stand. She likes to be part of the crowd and will often give in to the activity choice of a friend, just to keep the peace. We are focusing on helping her internalize her values, see the height of her self-esteem, and verbalize her feelings and emotions.

Jersey #1 is a precious gem. Even though she is growing up way too fast for my liking, it is so amazing to watch her gifts and talents grow too. It is fun to dream about where these skills may take her. Will she become fluent in another language? Will she take on a career with a leadership role? Will she raise a large family? Will she serve the needs of others? I don't have the answers now, so we will have to wait and see what the future holds.