all grows up

 you are growing up.

that's something that obviously happens for all people, but it's different with you. when i've noticed over the years that your sister or brother are suddenly 'so big', it usually catches me by surprise because it seems to have happened without me noticing. maybe because i've not watched, helped and prayed over the process in the same way.

you meet milestones, just as they have, but in your own time which may or may not resemble theirs. the awesome byproduct of your pace is that i rarely find myself saying, "it went so fast - i just blinked and suddenly they were walking/talking/reading". 

as a 'seasoned' parent with two high schoolers, i am all too familiar with the bittersweet way kids rapidly grow up. so this pace of yours is one that makes your growth something that can be enjoyed thoroughly without sadness over missing a stage that ended prematurely.

this pace also rarely allows for you to take me by surprise, so when you do, I relish in it. this week you spent no less than ten minutes a few days in a row, meticulously brushing and 'fixing' your hair in a very grown up way that i've not seen from you before. thank you for taking me by surprise.