Chloe is eight today. I can’t really believe it. It seems like I was giving birth to her not so very long ago. My mom and I spent the afternoon with her, and we went to the local bead store where she made herself a necklace (and I made a necklace for Sophie). For dinner, she chose to take us to a local pizzeria and Coldstone for ice cream afterwards. Not what I would have chosen, but it wasn’t my birthday, was it?
While at dinner, we were talking about the passage of time and I found myself projecting into the future again. First, to her 18th birthday, and the milestone of being able to vote. But what caught her attention – enough to make her set aside her new Nintendo DS – was what will happen when she turns 17. “Driver’s license! Cool!” she exclaimed. When I told her that we’d save the minivan for her, she grinned and cried, “Cool! Nice! That’s great! Really, mom? Will I get the minivan?” Which made the three of us adults laugh. And made me realize that, despite the feeling that she’s grown up so fast, we still have a very long way to go before she turns 17.