Dirt: Still 12

Today we celebrated my oldest's 13th birthday with a party.

She is 12 for 10 more days and I am going to get a lot of miles out of that.

My girls are 21 months apart and for 3 months, I get to say my kids are a year apart.

The double takes are not as great at 11 and 12 as they were at say, 1 and 2 or 3 and 4. 

But, I still get that look of shock that flutters across people's faces.

Now, it is me who is shocked.

Shocked that she is going to be 13.

Shocked that she does not like Thomas the Tank Engine or want me to look at a "patt-er-en" that she created. Shocked that she does not wear her blankie as a cape  Shocked that she is as tall as I am and wears the same size shoes as me.

What I am not shocked by is the fact that she organized her own party. Created and sent invitations, kept up with RSVPs, made her own cupcakes and coordinated the colors.

I made her a banner and bought the candy. 

She is an amazing and independent girl, and I can see in glimpses the woman she will be.

I love her so much sometimes it takes my breath away and today, as I watched her walk off with 12 of her friends (and her sister and her friend) on her birthday scavenger hunt, it hurt just a little. She came back, but she did not need me to hold her hand or tell her where to go, and that is a little hard to swallow. 

13.

Huge milestone.

Huge deal.

10 more days of 12.

Sigh.