Stop Growing

Katelee and I have a little daily joke. She'll do something incredibly grown up, and I'll ask her to please stop growing. Then she'll giggle and say, "No! I want to grow!" Honestly, it is a daily routine.

Because lately Katelee has seemed so grown up!

Here are just a few signs that she is becoming a seriously big girl:

• She's taken a sudden interest in the TV shows I watch. If asked, she'll gush her opinion that 'The Office' is soooooo funny (though I've never actually let her watch it) and she really likes to watch American Idol with me. She cried when Katie was voted off the show. But only because I think she liked her name. ;)
• She's starting to read. We've been learning sight words, and she is learning to sound out words, too. She loves it and is so excited to read. She read her first complete sentence by herself a couple weeks ago: "A princess is kind."
• She talks to me like a little adult. And uses words and phrases that sound so funny coming from her mouth. Like today she said to me, "Mom, I have a clever idea!"
• She has started playing outside without adult supervision. But only on rare occasions, and only with lots of other kids, and only when my door is open and I check on her every other minute. (I'm not quite ready for this step yet!)
• She has started to go ahead in her piano books and play songs on her own.
• I no longer dress her, put on her shoes, open locked doors, or buckle her in her car seat anymore. She is so independent. Some of these things I thought I would never miss doing, but I do.

I love you, my big grown-up girl.

But really, stop growing. Or at least just slow it down a bit. You're growing up too fast!