Growing Up

As of about two weeks ago my daughter became a big sister, not from me, I’m happily independent. lol Her dad and his girlfriend welcomed a new little baby girl into the world. My daughter spent that first weekend after she was born with me and she seemed moody. I couldn’t figure out what was wrong with her. One of the nights she cried telling me she didn’t get to see her dad that often when she was at his house because of the baby. I had to explain the reasoning and how she’s going to need to be patient for the next few months because that baby can’t do anything for itself. Her mood still didn’t change the rest of the weekend.

Then Monday she came home after spending a few hours with her dad and she was in the best mood. I think all she needed with quality father-daughter time. I was downstairs doing some things when I realized she was kind of quiet upstairs. I went to check on her and ask her to brush her teeth. Her reply “I did already”. Wait, what? I look over and she’s folding clothes. “Are you getting clothes ready for school tomorrow?” She gives me a big smile “yup.” Uh, Wow!

So I sit down in a chair and she comes in and goes “I want to go to bed now and I want to read a book before bed.” Wait a minute, who are you and what did you do with the grouchy seven year old who was here just yesterday? Well I didn’t argue, I went into her room and I read her not one, not two, but three stories before bed. The week before she’d been high strung and bouncing off walls and that night she was calm and almost put herself to bed. She even went to sleep without getting out of bed twenty times to ask me a question.

3am

I get woken up from my very alert and well-dressed kid. “Mommy, I’m ready for school. Can I watch TV?” I started to help her turn on the TV, not really thinking of what time it was or what day it was. Finally once I realized what was going on and was more alert that’s when I told her to go back to her bed. Apparently I need to teach her about time; or get her a clock with an alarm. Hahaha

She told me on the drive to school this morning that she wanted to make me proud and get herself ready. That she didn’t want me to worry. *heart breaks* I’m raising a sweet kid. I had to explain to her that I was always proud of her, that she’s smart and great even without waking up at 3am to get ready for school. We agreed that I’d buy her an alarm lol

Jump ahead to this week and I’ve put my iPad in her room and set the alarm for 5:30am. She’s out of bed, brushes her teeth, gets dressed and comes downstairs alert and smiling “Mommy, I’m ready. Why aren’t you ready? You’re slow.” This kid, seven going on seventeen. She amazes me all the time.