One of my very first blog posts was about Kindergarten orientation for Emerson. She was five, she could spell her name, she knew all of her letters and shapes, and and she was ready to go. But do you know what her favorite part of that day was? Her freshly painted nails.
I should have known...
Here we are in 2015, and Emerson is a fourth grader. She is above grade level in reading and math, gets straight A's on her report cards, and "is a pleasure to have in class." But do you know what the most important part of her day is? Making sure she has enough hair spray in her hair so that little piece in the front that likes to stick up stays stuck down the entire day.
If there was a definition to describe the year 2015, I think Emerson could sum it up.
Taylor Swift...
Peace and Love..
Girl Power...
Tree Hugger...
Sports Icon...
Duck Face...
Miranda Sings...
Project Runway...
Human Emoji...
And while she's very in the know about what's popular and what's not, Emerson still finds a way to put her own unique spin on things.
If there are three hundred orange pumpkins, she'll pick the only one that's not orange.
If she's cheering at a race, she'll paint her forehead instead of a poster.
If she needs a break, a dead body pose in the street is completely acceptable.
If no one's looking she'll sneak off to play with her dollhouse.
When my babies were babies, I used to wish for them to get bigger-big enough to sit up, big enough to crawl, big enough to walk, big enough to talk. Last year, I was a bit sad to think that Emerson was halfway to 18. This year, I feel differently. Yes, she's growing up. There have been minor battles over wearing lipstick to school, and talk of cute boys in class, and days when I've had to PRY her out of bed so she has time to eat breakfast before catching the bus. Most of the time, though, she's pretty awesome. We actually have a lot in common: we like the same music, we both LOVE sleep, and we're both a little crazy.
I am excited for Emerson's future. She is a smart, confident, funny, caring girl. I am excited for her to go to middle school, and high school, and to learn to drive, and to go to the prom. And while all of those things can be terrifying in the moment, I know she will conquer each and every one of them. I might miss her late night feeding sessions, and her chubby little toddler cheeks, and her toothless Kindergarten grin, but she has turned into a beautiful girl and I know that she will always be my baby.
Today is Emerson's tenth birthday, and we will celebrate
everything that she is.
