A Teenager in the HOUSE

Raising a child is full of surprises! I read all the parenting books, went to the baby fairs,  I'd been around some babies, how hard could it be?  Matt and I were so lost. It's impossible to be prepared for waking up all hours of the night especially if you're a nursing mother.  There are wonderful moments.  There are scary moments. There are not feeling like yourself moments. There are I can't stand my spouse moments (y'all know it's true on BOTH ends).  And everything in-between.  All the gear your child requires - strollers, burp cloths, diapers, wipes, bottles, changes of clothes, car seats, more diapers, pacifiers, swings, playmats, the list is endless and bank accounts are drained.  I wouldn't trade anything for my three kids.  We've got a small and cozy house (that we can afford).  We have vehicles that work and get our kids everywhere we need to go.  Our kids are healthy and happy and smart.  They are surrounded by family and friends who love them dearly.  We have everything we need!  Bring on the teenage years...

Today 13 years ago, I could have never imagined that this tiny 6 lb. baby girl would be the most stunning, grounded, devoted, intelligent, hard working young woman that she has become.  I catch myself looking at her and thinking...where did all that time go?  It was a blink!  She should be yanking barrettes out of her hair (still as tender headed as ever today and always has her hair pulled back).  She should be screaming at the top of her lungs in the bathtub with a foam visor and goggles with Matt trying to wash her hair (again hair issues - smh). She should be in the middle of my kitchen floor drinking my Mocha Blast from Baskin Robbins (her favorite frothy drink has become a Mocha Frappe from Starbucks). She should be potty trained by now (j/k but she was almost 3 1/2 when she stubbornly relented).  She should be sounding out all of her primer words (is currently reading Stephen King books and just started the series The 5th Wave).  She should be listening to Coldplay's Clocks (on repeat) on our computer pounding away on the keyboard and "pretending" to work (now is on Instagram, texting and watching Good Mythical Morning). She should be wearing a colored wrist band and looking for her matching opponent in youth league basketball (playing a power forward for 7th SWMS).  I should be spending Gymbucks on clothes (spent $200 on Junior's clothes at Kohl's and didn't get half as much). This list could go on and on.  Our child will only become a teenager once, and today is that day for Matt and I.  We have a teenage daughter and LOVE her to pieces!