She Grew Up Overnight

There’s no school today, but that doesn’t usually do much to affect sleeping schedules around our house. My husband has become quite adept at the silent ninja routine in the morning, showering, getting ready, and leaving the house while making as little noise as possible. Despite his best efforts, it’s usually only ten to fifteen minutes later maximum before I hear little feet padding up the stairs and find a little face peering into mine saying, “Mommy. I want brak-fast.”

This morning I heard  her downstairs reading to herself especially early (it wasn’t even 7 am yet). I thought to myself, “Ugh. It’s going to be an early one.” But I fell back to sleep and she continued playing. Then I heard her walking around upstairs and I was grateful for the extra sleep. But she still didn’t wake me up and she miraculously stayed out of the cookies. This is usually about the time she hears her brother make a tiny peep and goes into his room prematurely. But she didn’t.

At one time, I imagined she opened the front door, so I went out to check on her. Nope. I discovered her sitting in the ottoman, looking sweet in her floral pjs, coloring a picture serenely, her princess figurines lined up in a row next to her. She seemed alright, so I slept a bit longer.

We’ve had a lovely morning with pancakes, Ella selecting her own clothes as usual, and more independent play. Right now, she’s waiting for me to finish my blog post so she can read to me. In the meantime, she’s entertaining and reading to her little brother. They’ve been  happily playing in her room together for a good ten minutes at least.

I attended the first parent/teacher conference for preschool last week and this really started my reflection on how much my little girl is growing up. I was astonished when I looked at how far she’s come since the final p/t conference at the end of last year in May. In just a few short months, she’s grown in leaps and bounds.  My girl continues to devour books, to desire to learn and know more, to thrive in groups and the school environment. I am so proud of her, so happy for her, so excited for her to continue to progress!

She is far from perfect, but some days I amazed that I recently complained about her behavior. She is wanting to do so much for herself right now, to be a big girl, to learn responsibility, to help take care of her brother. We were in ShopKo on a rare shopping trip with just the two of us on Saturday and I enjoyed her company so much! While we were waiting in line to ask a question at the service counter, she was being unbelievably cute and clever. I knelt down and spontaneously hugged her in my delight.

I’ve found myself saying “Good job, Ella.” so much more these days and thanking her for being helpful, for making an effort, for doing a good job listening. I suspect that perhaps she is not the only one growing and changing here. I feel so lucky to be blessed with the gift of motherhood and to be trusted with two incredible souls who fill my world with wonder, learning, and love.


On a totally different note, is this really post #432 for me? Wow! I seriously need to celebrate at post 450! Maybe a giveaway to say thank you to my friends who return to my blog again and again to comment, support, and share their thoughts.