Written by Rowonna McNeely – Well, it’s official. Our little girl is now 7 years old, lost two teeth and has informed me that cartoon Halloween movies are not scary… they are for little kids. What happened to my baby?
Saturday we celebrated Kiera’s birthday. The day before she reminded me that she is getting older.
We had stopped at a local business. I climbed out of the truck, closed my door and opened Kiera’s door. As soon as her feet touched the ground, she said, “Mom.”
I knew I was in for a lecture. She had that tone in her voice.
“Mom. You know I can open my door?” She continued on but with a lighter tone. “I’m almost 7. What about when I am 20?”
She giggled and said, “I’ll have my own house and I’ll be sitting in the car waiting for you to open the door!”
I laughed at her description. “Ok, baby. I’ll try to remember.”
Although, she is getting more independent, I can safely say that some things have not changed since she turned 7. For instance, she still makes no sense in the middle of the night.
Saturday night was a treat trying to get her in bed. She was wound up from her birthday and her birthday party. Finally, around 9:30 that night, she fell asleep. Aaron and I, exhausted from a crazy workweek followed up by a mermaid birthday party, crawled into bed and promptly fell asleep.
I was awakened in the middle of the night to a patting on my shoulder. “Mommy…Mommy.” Kiera said quietly as she stood by the side of my bed.
I rolled over, blinking rapidly to focus on her small figure. “Yes, baby?”
“Can you take me to the bathroom?” She asked.
I always love this question in the middle of the night. I don’t mind taking her to the bathroom, the part that tickles me is that she has to walk by the bathroom to get to our room.
I tossed my legs over the side of the bed and replied, “Yes. Come on, sweetie.”
As she walked into the bathroom, she stated. “I need to talk to you.”
“What do you need to talk about, baby?” I asked, trying to wake up enough that I could be prepared for whatever she was planning on talking about.
I was greeted with a few moments of silence. She stood up and flushed the toilet before again saying, “I need to talk to you.”
“Ok, baby. I’m right here. What do you need to tell me?” I stated following her as she walked out of the bathroom.
She walked to her bed and climbed in. As she reached for her blankets, she said, “I need to talk…” Her head touched the pillow and there was silence.
Shining my phone on her face, it was easy to see that she was sound asleep. I waited for a couple of minutes just to make sure that she did not wake up, but she was down for the count.
She may be getting older but it’s nice to know that some things just don’t change.
Thank you for sharing in our weekly journeys. If you have missed any of our past stories, check out our new blog page at www.lifea2k.net or drop us a line at lifea2k@yahoo.com.
Rowonna McNeely
Graphic Designer - Mommy to Kiera
Rowonna McNeely works with her husband, Aaron, at Willie’s T’s in the Art Department, regularly volunteers in the community, and has her hands full with her daughter, Kiera, along with two dogs and one cat.
Rowonna is a graduate of May High School (Go Tigers!) and grew up on a dairy farm. She enjoys reading, creating, swimming, and planning events. She’s also a bit of a klutz.
