Such a doll

My daughter is not a big fan of breakfast food as a general rule, unless we are talking about sizzling delightful bacon and sausage. Slinging waffles or pancakes doesn't bring her to the table any more willingly than a bowl of gluey oatmeal, so I have learned to not expend much extra effort in the kitchen. My best bet is to drive to the store for bagels. Eventually, she will return the plain bagel outer covering to anyone who looks vaguely interested in eating the hollowed out serving dish she has created. Her grandfather is her perfect bagel partner, as her remnants are his favorite part. (Plus, he does not take offense to the used food notion.)

I lost the breakfast battle with my daughter this morning. Her initial excuse for not pairing anything substantial with her grapes was that she wouldn't be hungry for lunch if she ate too much. Her class eats lunch at 10:20, and there we were at 7:15. She had a slight grin on her face as I started to protest. After pointing out the three hour time-frame she had to develop some hunger pangs, I decided to just enjoy a few minutes at the table with her.

She grabbed something from the kitchen counter on her way to the table and became captivated flipping through the magazine pages. I watched her face progress through several variations of interest, happiness and entertainment. What struck me about each expression was how much older the complete package looked, and how each of these looks had become her own. She wasn't just smiling, her face was lit up in her own radiant grin. She didn't just look inquisitive, I could see her wheels turning. Her whole face looked more mature than it had when I tucked her into bed last night. Her nose though, that sweet little nose...it still takes a lot of restraint for me to not reach out and "beep" it. Her hair was still the way I like it, leftover from sleep and more gently pulled back with a curl hanging, as she had not yet had her way with it . Even something about the way she was sitting, with one leg bent, and her chin resting on her knee looked older.

I was happy for this small moment we were sharing. Two hip chicks (allow me this vision of myself, as i was dressed and showered with a necklace on...that is as good as I get) just relaxing before the day started. Of course I had a moment of panic that her little girlhood was slipping through my fingertips. Then she pointed out something in her magazine...or should I say the latest American Girl doll catalog. Oh yes, she had "considering my Christmas list" written all over her face. Thanks to Kit, Emily, Mia and the rest of the girls in the bin upstairs, for keeping her childhood sweet for even just a little bit longer!