We were smitten, but were warned "Just wait until she turns 13."
Our funny, ugly baby became our golden-haired sweetheart. She adored her father and he delighted in her. She knew when it was getting close to the time for him to arrive and she would stretch up onto her tiptoes to peer out the window. There is no sound on Earth quite like the squeal she made when his truck pulled into our driveway at the end of a long day of work. There is no love quite like the love of a daddy for his tiny daughter, or her love for him.
We couldn't imagine loving anyone more, but people tried to prepare us, "Just wait until she turns 13."
She was eight and an accomplished dancer. We traveled the country so she could compete. She was my delightful companion. I relished seeing the country from her perspective. What to me was a dirty train was, to her, a grand adventure to be retold with breathless excitement. Her favorite thing in all the world was to be in the car with her best friend and "the moms." Oh, how I loved eight.
Everyone agreed with me about the wonder of this child, but they shook their heads in sadness and with knowing voices said, "Just wait until she turns 13."
We reached 13 this week and a part of me wanted to hide for fear of the monster I had been warned to expect. No villain appeared at the kitchen table, just my own sleepy daughter in her baggy pj's and socks. She sleeps a little later now, is capable of better conversation, and has developed impeccable taste in shoes, but is still the kind and wonderful person we have always known. She does get moody and weepy at times, but the change from adored child to confident woman is a confusing one.
The fabled monster does not exist in our house. I don't know how we have escaped its wrath, but so far we have. Instead, we have this mature girl who daily moves closer to the woman God has planned for her to be.
Happy Birthday #1! I look forward with breathless anticipation to all that this year holds for you. You've already come so far, from ugly baby to lovely young woman. I can't wait for the rest of the journey.

