16 Things I Love

My baby girl turned 16 yesterday. It's a milestone of which I am acutely, painfully aware. I find myself counting down more often. How many more holidays will she be at home, how many more first days of the school year, how many more birthday parties, how many more months left do I have with her before she's all grown up and living a life that I'm not a daily part of? It feels like it's going to happen tomorrow. Like if I blink, it's going to be over.

Even if she's not always sleeping in the room next to me, she'll always be my baby girl and I could pontificate for hours what this means to me and what it means to be a mom. What it means to be her mom. Instead, in honor of the 16 candles I put on her cake last night, here are 16 things that I love about her.

1. She chose to be Holly Golightly for Halloween one year.
2. She surprises me with her talents. Still.
3. I love how once in a while I look at her and catch my breath, that I can't believe this beautiful creature has anything to do with me.
4. Her sense of humor and sass.
5. I love how she can be so frustrating on a daily basis and then we go on vacation and I rediscover how fun she truly is.
6. Her heart is so big.
7. She's much stronger and braver than I ever give her credit for.
8. She still asks to be tucked in at night.
9. She cried when she wasn't tall enough for a roller coaster.
10. When she was a baby and uncomfortable, her favorite place to be was in my arms.
11. Her silliness.
12. Her first word after "momma" was "shoe".
13. She has always been her own person.
14. I love that she's taught me love and acceptance.
15. We watch scary movies together.
16. I love that I get to be witness to her self-discovery.

To my Bugabooga, I will love you always in ways that you can't even imagine. Thank you for being the beautiful person that I am so proud of.
Happy Birthday.

How Old Do You Feel?

When I was in junior high, I used to tell my mom how so-and-so and what's-his-name were going out. She would exasperate me each and every time by asking, "Where are they going?" I hated it. They were dating, but that was what we called it. Of course now I know what she meant. Just how far can a couple of junior high kids go? They don't drive. Duh.

So this is the conversation D and I had today.

D: He wrote "swag" on my wall so I wrote back "swaggity swag swaggy."
Me: What does that mean?
D: I don't know. I just said it.
Me: Then why did you say it?
D:Because that's what he said. Oh, you don't know what swag means?
Me: Obviously not.
D: It's the way you walk, the way you carry yourself.
Me: That's swagger.
D: Yeah, but we shorten it. I can't believe you didn't know what swag is. How old you you feel now?
Me. How stupid do you feel? Your generation has to be the dumbest. You just abbreviate everything because you're lazy.
D: Wow. Thanks, Mom.