Eight!

She wasn't born on Canada Day, July 1, despite her Canadian heritage.

She wasn't born on the Fourth of July, despite the urgings of her patriotic and extremely pregnant mother.

She wasn't born in the car on the way to the hospital, although we didn't have much margin for error.

She wasn't what I expected my firstborn daughter to be like, but that's because she arrived as her own person, not as the vague character I'd created in my mind.

She blazes through books faster than I can read them. She likes to phrase everything in as elaborate a way as possible. She finds the flimsiest pretexts for drama. She thinks a little differently from the rest of the world. She's grown into a tall, slim, agile little girl whose thoughts often outstrip her years.

Today she's eight years old. Happy birthday to Adelaide!