one for the books

I'm not exactly sure how it happened, but I'm now the mother of an 18 year old. Where did that little girl go and who is this young lady living in my house?

There are moments when children make huge leaps in their growth and development. One happens when they start middle school. You put that sweet, little girl/boy on the bus for their first day in 6th grade, and they come home as a middle school kid. Another happens when they start high school; a shift happens in them and it is visible.

We had another one of these events just happen as the oldest went on another visit to UA. She left on Thursday as a high school student and returned with a more collegiate attitude. Just a bit more confident, a bit more self-aware, a bit more 'hey, I'm 18 and I'm sort of an adult....I can even vote!' Ha Ha.

When our girls were born, time capsules were all the baby shower rage. I have one for each girl and the oldest opened hers yesterday on her 18th birthday. It was wonderful...lots of ugly crying, but still wonderful. The tin contained all sorts of things, many of which I had totally forgotten about placing inside the container.

The most poignant items were the letters to the future penned by her grandparents and greatgrandparents. Also, I kept a journal while I was pregnant with her and a daybook calendar too. She spent most of the afternoon yesterday reading 'her' books. My mom had given me the journal to keep and in her wisdom knew it would be a special thing for Julia to read someday. It was.

It was also a special thing for me to share with her and it provided us some moments of laughter and even more tears.

And a note on that...the wisdom of my parents.  As we get ready to send our first child off to college, I think about all the lessons, and all the love, that surrounded me while I grew up and how hard my husband and I have tried to give that same love and support to our children. Seeing our daughter respond to that time capsule in such a loving, humble and emotional way brought home the fact that we've done more than okay with her. She is ready to start the next chapter in her life.

Yes, this weekend is one for the books. It was a wonderful day yesterday and while my folks and hubby's mom weren't here, they were all present in one very special 18 year old young lady.