She woke up a whole year older

It's Bailey's Birthday again!

Why do they keep coming? Her father and I had the most disturbing conversation ever last night...

Bailey is 11... which means that in less than a decade she won't live in my house any more. It means I won't wake up to her sunny, spunky self everyday. It means that when we are sick at the same time I won't have anyone to lie next to me in bed and laugh even though our bellies feel like something out of a horror movie. This makes me not happy... and so I will think of something else.This is one of my favorite pictures of Bailey. One of about 10 trillion favorites!

Today when we awoke to Grandma Chrissy and Grandpa Konks morning "happy birthday" duet I took the phone to a sleeping Birthday girl and nearly fell over when I walked into the room to see such a large child in the bed that I am certain I tucked my little sweet pea into last night. "Oh BOY!" I shouted! "She grew up!" I considered the conversations over the past few months. They've gone from beginning with "mommy" to "mom". They've transformed into actual conversations like I have with friends. The questions have moved from "will you get me a cup of water?" to "so, when can I have a cell phone?" and for Christmas instead of asking for toys we've moved into the lists of clothes, technology, music and stylish boots. Where did the time go? People told me the day she was born, "don't blink! or you'll miss her life." I took that very seriously... but it still has FLOWN by!
When I asked Bailey what she would like for her birthday she started telling me that the girls at school call her "a girly girl". "What does that mean?" I inquired. Then with a sad expression she started in on this crazy story about how if she wears clothes, other than jeans and t-shirts, that the girls classify you as a "girly girl". "Is that bad?" I asked. "After all, you are a girl!" Then she said that her favorite color was 'pink and nobody else likes pink'. It was a concern weighing heavy on her shoulders. What does a mom say to a girly girl who loves pink that is feeling peer pressure to wear jeans and t-shirts in other colors? Trying to think back to those days I realized that I was a TOM BOY! My mother made me wear the girliest Gunny sack lace dresses she could find, curled my hair every Sunday (much to my dismay) and was adamant that I clog because she was so concerned about my dream to be buried in my jeans (with the lions on the pocket) and "E.T. loves River Heights Elementary School" t-shirt and cleats! It bothered her that she found cracked baby bird eggs in my pockets and that all my friends were neighborhood boys who loved playing tackle football and soccer all day and night with me. I hated pink. If it wasn't yellow it wasn't a color. And if the pants weren't made of denim they shouldn't be worn! And t-shirts... bless them! But I couldn't say that to her... And so I told Bailey to tell the girls, "I can't help but to be a girly girl! My mother is one. My aunts are and my Grandma's love fashion! And pink is our signature color! It is the very symbol of girl!" "anyway", I said, "when you go to another school where fashion is allowed people will dress different. and... and when you grow up those mean kids aren't even going to be around. It's going to be you and cousin Ellie (who is a Fashion Goddess) and the two of you are going to shop and hang out so none of this will matter. Just hold on for now!" And that must have sufficed her... because she then said, "okay! then for my birthday I would like perfume and lotion with sparkles in it and a new dress with tights and then maybe you could take me for a facial."

Ummmm.......... What happened to barbies?

HaPpY bIrThDaY bAiLeY!

I love everything about you... except that you keep growing up! But even then I can think of a zillion reasons why its going to be great to have you big as it was to hold you in my arms when you were oh soooo small.

I sure love you lady.