Ishaan Turns Six
Ishaan is six!
We have a six-year old! What?!
This past year has flown by. I feel like we just had his Ultimate Ninjas’ birthday party, celebrating him turning five. And, somehow, a whole year has passed.
This year of Ishaan has made me realize just how unique and special he is. His brain works so differently from mine, and I love getting a glimpse into how he takes in the world. (And also how much of the world he DOESN’T take in ’cause he can’t be bothered with that when his mind is a far cooler place to hang out in).
The other day, completely out of nowhere, he said, “Mama there are 19 syllables between 11 and 19.”
And, a few weeks ago, when we pulled out eggs to make an omelette, he was so excited that he didn’t have to count each one individually. He counted the top row and proudly explained, “6 + 6 + 6 = 18. So 6 x 3 = 18.” He loves being asked math questions.
He also loves reading. Dragon Masters is his current fav; he’s almost finished with the whole series. And I’m so excited to introduce him to Firehawk next.
Lately, he’s been really into soccer. His love for animals is still going strong. And even though he’s my big six-year-old now, he still wants Mama to lie next to him while he falls asleep. (And truthfully, I’ve come to love that part of our day just as much. It’s the calmest, most connected moment we get).
For his birthday this year, in true Ishu fashion, he didn’t want anything big or loud or attention-filled. Instead, he chose to watch the new Super Mario Bros. movie with a few friends.
They all loved getting to indulge in all the fountain soda and candy and popcorn their little tummies could handle. And then we immediately went to the park to burn off that energy with a game of soccer. The parents were freezing, but the kids were so happy that we just stuck it out until the sun went down.
On his actual birthday, he woke up to balloons and pancakes with a big chocolate chip number 6 on top. At school, we celebrated his “Walk Around the Sun,” and then we picked him up early for bike riding and a picnic at the park with his people.
In the evening, Ankur took the kids out to play soccer and pick out a special birthday cake. We celebrated with Auntie Anna and later hopped on a Zoom call with the family.
That call got me a little emotional.
Ishu doesn’t love being the center of attention (especially not with everyone singing to him). So he had one request. Instead of “Happy Birthday,” maybe everyone could share a joke with him.
And our family RAN with it.
It made me love them so much. The way we can really see our kids for who they are and meet them where they’re at. The way we’re learning to love them in the ways THEY want to be loved. I don’t take that for granted.
Ishu is still riding the birthday high.
And I’m still sitting here, a little in disbelief, wondering how it is that we have a six-year-old. A thoughtful, curious, brilliant kid who makes our world feel so fun and interesting just by being in it.
We love you, our Ishu Pishu.
