Twelve

Sophie turned twelve today and I’m not ready for what that means.

Twelve

She’s becoming this whole person - confident, funny, beautiful in ways that take my breath away and terrify me in equal measure. When she looked up at me while we were making her birthday cake this morning, I saw myself at her age. Except she’s already more sure of herself than I was at eighteen.

That was always the plan, wasn’t it? To raise a daughter who wouldn’t apologize for taking up space, who wouldn’t dim her light to make others comfortable.

Birthday girl energy

Mission accomplished, I guess. She’s got my cheekbones and Marcus’s eyes and a confidence that’s entirely her own.

Twelve feels like a threshold. Like we’re standing at the edge of something I’m not sure I’m prepared for. But watching her blow out her candles today, seeing that smile that’s becoming more mine every day… maybe preparation is overrated. Maybe the point is just to love her through it all and trust that we’ve given her everything she needs.

Happy birthday, Sophie Grace. You’re going to be unstoppable.