The subject line says it all. And she’s fine with it and proud of it (always cool to be the first in something among friends) and curious about it.

Times are different now. We still made a big deal out of such milestones back when I was her age. In fact, I think I stayed home from school. Chloe, in her inimitable way, was completely blasé about the whole thing when she announced it to me. I kept my emotions mostly in check, although I will admit to getting a little frog in my throat.

She’s been talking about it nonstop for the last 20 minutes. She’s happy it happened today. A good day to have it, she said. Exactly two months before her 12th birthday. Apparently, Mark Twain, Ben Stiller, Billy Idol, David Mamet (the curser, Chloe calls him) and Dick Clark were all born today. Leave it to Chloe to use celebrity birthdays as a gauge to determine the relative greatness of the  timing of this momentous occasion. It’s quite funny, actually. I love my big girl.