Cecilia

I've been getting to know Cecilia (Ceci or Cec for short) for the past month now, and I'm already starting to fall in love with this little girl. I'm beginning to understand who she is as an artist, a daughter, and a person, and I love watching how she reacts to certain things, handles different situations, and lights up when talking about specific things. Although it's only been a month, I feel a strong bond with Cec because I can see so much of myself as a child in her.

I've come to realize that Cecilia is very intelligent and very creative (she has an enormous imagination!). Her two favorites things to do with her free time (other than playing on her handheld nintendo, computer or Wii) are drawing and reading, and she is brilliant at both of them. She loves to read in both Italian and English and can finish a large book within a matter of a few hours. At least from what I can see her favorite books are the Geronimo Stilton series, an Italian series written in the perspective of a mouse who always has lots of drama going on.

We've spent hours drawing Pokemon together, as currently this is her absolute favorite cartoon in the world (she has millions of cards and games and figures dedicated to this as well). In the time that I draw one, she will have drawn three, and each time she shows me one I'm more and more impressed by her skill. It's funny because I remember when Pokemon first came out, and how passionate I was about it, and actually I think it was a family thing. Even my mom got into the card game (sorry, Mom, your secret's out ;)). Though this love for pokemon will probably pass within a couple years, it's fun to see her be so passionate about something.

She's also quite musically inclined, and will sometimes sit and practice on her own or show off her skill to her family (and in the picture on the right, to her friend Guelfo). She's really good at playing the piano, especially for only having done it a short time, and it's fun to watch her play along with the pre-recorded beats on the electric keyboard. I remember my own piano days, playing on the nice one at Mom's and then the keyboard at Dad's, and doing the exact same thing as Cec does now. I loved those tunes and would use them as a way to make the thirty minutes a day go by faster :) It's fun to see her play the same exact songs I learned when I first started.

Another thing I've noticed about Cecilia is that she is a natural born leader. She likes to be in control of her own world, and that's something I can relate to very closely. When she's in a group, she likes to be the one to direct people and be in the spotlight while doing something, even if all they're doing is playing in the sand. While she may not have the balance of leadership and humility down yet, I love this trait and I hope she continues to be the leader of her own life no matter what she's doing. She's someone I could see being a perfect art director or something close to it in the future.

She also has a little rebellious streak going already, and I think this ties into her leadership qualities. More often than not she will do something just because you want her to do the opposite. If she does something, it will be her idea and no one else's, which I think comes from her father. While this can be annoying and frustrating at times, especially when you want her to brush her teeth, set the table, eat her fruit or go to bed, it makes me chuckle to myself and I actually hope that as Cec grows up she never loses the ability to think for herself or to choose to do something because she decides it's appropriate for herself, not just because someone tells her to.

Watching how this family functions is a pleasure for me. It's fun to see the similarties and compare the differences to that of my own family, and to do my best to understand and respect those differences. Living with them as a whole has also helped me understand Cecilia better. Having an independent, creative,  intelligent mother, and a stubborn, passionate father, I can understand more of why Cec is the way she is. I am very curious to know how she turns out in the future; who she becomes and what she chooses to do with her precious life.

There times when taking care of her can be tough, but I wouldn't change a thing about her. She is where she is for a reason, and I believe many of her "faults" now will pass with time and life experience, as well as pick up new faults as those new experiences enter her world. I know that she will become exactly who she is meant to be, learning and changing and growing with each passing year. No matter who she becomes in the future, I have grown to love this beautiful little girl and her family, faults and all.