Gwenny Gwenny Bo Benny

Five years old. My middle baby. My drama queen. As a baby she decided that midnight was the appropriate entrance time and she's been bucking the system ever since. We brought Gwen home on Halloween day, Alyssa was 4 years old and so excited she didn't even care that there would be no trick or treating that year. Alyssa dressed as a cheerleader, decorated the house and did cheers for her sister...who slept through it all.
Speaking of sleeping...for about a year she slept on the living room floor. Nap time, bed time, any time. She would grab a blanket and pillow and find a good spot. I have at least a dozen pictures of her sleeping in various places and positions. It's amazing how fast she can fall asleep even today.
Gwen nursed until she was 2 and I had to wean her because I was pregnant with Victor. I think she would still be nursing. I remember holding her and thinking she was so tiny and I referred to her as the baby up until the day Victor was born. After holding her newborn brother, her two year old self seemed so huge!
Loud. What can I say...this girl is loud. She has a piercing scream that can set off alarms. It has taken quite some time and effort to get her to reserve her screaming for the outside. And then, it's enough to have the neighbors calling 911. Funny thing about being so loud, she is VERY uncomfortable with loud sounds. Excluding herself I guess. I took her to see Shrek 3 and she was ready with candy and popcorn, squished into the folding theater seat...and then it started. She immediately grabbed her ears and started crying. I tried to convince her that she would get used to it or that I could stick napkin pieces in her ears and it would help. Nope, she had to get out of there and fast. We ended up getting coupons to come back, sans Gwenny. She still hasn't been back to the movies and has no problem with everyone else going...just not her. She wanted to see Kung Fu Panda so badly she almost changed her mind, but in the end she decided she would wait for the DVD.
There are days when she says "Mom, I haven't watched a movie or played a video game all day" and my response is "And you're still alive!" This girl lives for movies and video games. I have to limit her to one movie and one game playing session (timed!) or she would be constantly glued to the television set. She has been playing Scooby Doo, Monsters Unleashed on Playstation2 for over a year. There was a level that no one in the family could get past and she kept on trying until one day...Victory! She was so excited she could barely contain herself. We were all proud of her for sticking with it. My determined little baby. She burns through her school workbooks so quickly, I finally bought her one with a couple hundred pages so it might last a couple weeks!
She has excelled in her gymnastics and tumbling class and looks forward to joining the Cheer Squad in the Summer. She is a hard worker and her teachers rave about her potential. I am excited for her. She loves books, whether read aloud or grabbing a stack and sitting quietly on her bed. She really enjoys books of the seek and find variety. Her favorite sweet is ice cream, chocolate. Gwen can't imagine a day without candy or ice cream or something sweet. She is currently into being a princess and asks several times a day if a princess would do this or that. She loves to clean...hallelujah~ She will clean anything. When she is desperate enough, she will take a spray bottle and paper towels outside and clean the swing set. Her favorite color is blue, but she chooses to wear pink a LOT. There are so many things about her that make you wanna squish her, but you just have to know Gwenny to appreciate all of them. I can't imagine our family without her and her crazy ways!!!