A Letter to Little Z on his Fifth Birthday…
Happy Birthday Little Z, today you turn 5! 5 years of your smiles, your laughter, 5 years of you lighting up our lives! This year is very different compared to your last birthday, where you were doing online distance learning at home instead of attending school and your teacher and class friends sang Happy Birthday to you over Zoom. This year you are in class wearing your sparkly NASA jumper and a big Birthday Boy badge eagerly telling everyone that it’s your birthday and excited to give your party bags to your friends in class.
From previous parent teacher meetings, you have earned the title of Mr Popular amongst your class, with Ms Priti (your FS1 teacher) sharing that your friends would fight to sit next to you! It baffles me because I thought you’d always remain shy but it seems you’ve really come out of your shell this last year and are very vocal now.
It’s also been so nice since school has opened up again for events to see you participate in Sport’s Day, Science Day, UAE National Day celebrations and so on. The way your face lights up when you see me and Papa and give us a little wave has warmed my heart and cheering you on has been such a delight!
Over the last year you have continued to enjoy baking with Mummy, playing chess (making up your own rules as you go), lining up your collection of cars, crafting with your brother and of course quietly getting on with a puzzle on the carpet in the living room. You love to draw and colour and I often find you deeply engrossed in your colouring book, surrounded by crayons and markers. Following your brother’s footsteps, you are now also Lego obsessed and could spend hours making your little Lego race cars.
You have loved exploring different parts of Dubai over the last year such as Expo City, Legoland, OliOli and finally going into Museum of the Future (or Donut Building as you call it). Your favourite store is Decathlon (the Sports shop) as you love going on the scooters and jumping on the trampoline. You have also really enjoyed the Automatic Car Wash as I record your shocked reactions and giggles as the car is covered in soap and blitzed with water showers.
You definitely have a sweet tooth like me and can’t resist dessert, your favourites being Gulab Jamun, Kunafe, Ice cream and Rainbow Cake slice! In terms of main course, I think you may have Italian blood in you somewhere since you can’t get enough of Pesto Pasta, Ravioli and any noodles in general! You also love weekend pancakes and crepes for breakfast. You are also a serial snacker!
Over the last year, you went for your first Umrah before going on to explore the cities of Jeddah and Riyadh in Saudi Arabia. Travelling with you and your brother is so much fun now that you are more independent and it’s been so great to watch the world through your eyes.
You have started your journey into learning Arabic alphabets and are so far loving the Quran Era app to do it with since it’s all fun and games! We are currently taking it slow but this year I hope you can learn them all and begin the Qaida soon In sha Allah.
You are a little joker, with the funniest sense of humour. Your favourite phrases include “Tricked you!” Or “Just kidding!” before erupting into laughter. Your “r”s are still pronounced as “l”s but it’s the cutest thing and I almost wish you never grow out of that! You have quite the dance moves which you love to show off whenever your favourite tunes come on. It’s hard to stay mad at you when you flash your cheeky smile. You love a good toilet-related joke, I’m not such a huge fan of that one as you can imagine, but it sends you in a fit of giggles.
Wherever you go, you spread joy and happiness. You are so full of light and laughter, and I hope this never dims. I pray you carry on with your positive outlook in life In sha Allah, smiling and also making other smile along with you.
Happy Fifth Birthday, little one. Mummy and Papa love you to infinity and beyond.
How did you feel when your baby turned FIVE? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below!
You can read the letter I wrote to Little Z on his first, second, third and fourth birthday. Also, feel free to have a read of my open Birthday letters to my first born, Master Z, on his first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth birthday.
