Seven

Avi wanted to go skiing in Tahoe to celebrate his seventh birthday so we loaded up the car last Friday and headed out, fingers crossed for a storm that delivered just enough snow to make a ski trip possible.

 He's never been on skis but we signed him up for all day ski-school anyway. To our surprise, Lilit said she wanted to join. After two hours, we got the call as we rode the chair lift. Our sweet girl was done. Even after, "they gave me hot chocolate and graham crackers!" she would not be convinced to return to the bunny hill, "I kept falling down. And they kept telling me to put my hands on my knees!" she exclaimed in disbelief, her full 4.5 year old WTF indignation on display. She is a tremendous girl.

 And our first born turned 7. I asked if he wanted to hear the story of his birth. "No thanks!" he replied cheerfully. Lest I wonder whether his love for good old mom is waning, he has been making me jewelry at his beading class after school. Today, he thrust a necklace with a charm that says "love" in the middle at me after I picked him and Lilit up from their bus stop. I asked him about his creative process. "Well, Arwyn put this down (the love charm) and I grabbed it. I had found a frog for it, but then I found this and thought to myself, oh, this looks good!" Just when I thought I couldn't possibly love him more.

 He weathered the jealousy that is normal for little sisters to have when their big brothers have a birthday. He supervised Yossi on the stairs of our condo.

 He roughhoused with Auntie Maital and lapped up all the attention from Saba and Savta.

 I looked for birthday decor on the road and found nothing I liked, so I made a little banner from a paper grocery bag. Which he loved. And asked me to take a picture of him reading Harry Potter. He finished the first book while we were there and is tucking into the second. I love his pretend reading face.

 He mused about the weekend while we drove home, "It was a big weekend for me. I finished my first Harry Potter book, skiied, and turned 7. Woah."

 And Yossi stayed back with his grandparents while we enjoyed the slopes, practiced some more of his walking skills and got more screen time than any 15 month old should enjoy.

 Lilit had quite the "big feelings" about her brother's birthday. She is getting good at expressing herself with words (eg, I'm so mad right now!) and has her own calming down ritual that includes deep breaths and tissue to wipe her tears. She worships her big brother and picked out the sweetest card for him, then proceeded to fill it with stickers from the superhero family, The incredibles. We have joked that we could dress up as that family of 5 for Halloween and I love that she chose them to express her birthday wishes. Especially because in that story, the sister is the oldest. Ahem, Lilit.

 And Avi loved all-day skiing so much on Saturday that he wanted to return Sunday. Which we were happy to have him do as we had been awarded a voucher for Lilit's remainder of class that she chose to leave.

Our boy is seven. He couldn't get to sleep the night of his birthday and I asked if he wanted a story. So I whispered the story of Avi Bear, born into so much love on February 8, 2008. And I told of all the days after that remarkable day, all the way up until his 7th birthday. He sighed and clutched my arm as I knelt next to his bed. "Stay with me," he whispered. And I did until he quickly drifted to sleep. He is becoming his own person, with his own thoughts, feelings, experiences that are separate from mine and yet entirely related. Because he will always be our first born.