On being the fifth child

Being the fifth child must be kind of like getting a new job where you show up and find that you are working with people who have known each other for a while. I look at A1 (our 1-year-old daughter) and it strikes me that she is having quite a different experience growing up than her older sister (M12 who just turned twelve). Having three older brothers means that instead of learning lullabies, she has learned the Darth Vader march and rather than knowing Strawberry Shortcake, she knows the storyline to the Zelda video games (and she can sing themes from this as well).

There must be some advantages to coming late because she seems to be learning how to speak quickly and has already mastered the skill of removing all of her clothes, to the chagrin of her parents who are impressed, but would rather have control over whether she is dressed or not.

Another one of the first words A1 has mastered is "spot", something she learned from her older brother who frequently tells the others to "get out of my spot." Spot is a good general purpose word used to label a chair, box, laundry baskets, couches, benches, stools, etc. She points at one of these items and says "spot" which tells everyone else that this is reserved for her. I think that this comes out of the heightened competition she faces in finding spots. There are several spots in our house that are coveted for their padding. When she successfully sits in a spot, her smile broadens and you can tell that having a place to sit is not something she takes for granted like her older siblings.

A1 happy to have a spot.

Another thing A1 is really good at is saying goodbye -- she says goodbye to me in the morning, and then says goodbye to the oldest three when they leave for school. Sometimes she says goodbye to mom, although probably mom deserves to hear this more often. Not surprisingly, one of her other favorite songs, which she often sings out of the blue is "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye." You know, this song: