MOM! -

Kate called me Mom yesterday. YUCK! Why does that bug me? Well, for starters that's what I call my mom and I'm OLD! Mom is for maternal figures whose children are too old to call them "Mommy" or "Momma".

She said it and then she looked up at me startled at herself that she had used that word for me. She grinned mischievously and then said in her sheepish way, "I called you Mom!" with more smiles and snickers to follow.

I tried not to look too shocked and even acted like it was no big deal but it was SO WEIRD! It's like the day I told someone, "My daughter..." daughter, gasp. Daughters are old. Don't you agree? Kate's always been my baby girl. More recently, I've allowed her to be my little girl but pretty soon she will be a full blown daughter.

She even teased Scott later that he was her Dad. I could tell that made him cringe too.

During lunch, yesterday, Scott was noticing Kate's responses seemed so grown up. She said something like, "Remember just a week ago when..." and he remarked how unbelievable this whole parenting process is, watching your little baby just shoot right up into a big kid is unreal! I can't believe how far we've come and we can never go back to those days when I was her Ma-Ma and she was my baby.


And yet, I'm not horribly sad about it. I'm so amazed that each new day brings something beautiful and new. I love Kate's nearly-five-year-old self. I love it to pieces. She is so much more cuddly now than she ever was as a baby. She still sits close to me and reads book after book with me but she has added drawing and coloring and helping with chores and all sorts of new, wonderful things.