NikkiZ: Four going on Fourteen
Balancing her checkbook. Of course.
NikkiZ is such a little girl now. She watches Hannah Montana and wants to wear makeup. She tells elaborate stories about elephant poop and princesses (often elements woven into the same story) and loves her Big Girl carseat. I find myself torn between loving interacting with her as a little girl and sad to say goodbye to my baby. She and I go to movies together and shop. She gets excited for our Girls Only! special days and she helps me pick out clothes to wear when we go out. It’s an amazing thing, wanting to keep your children tiny while also excitedly anticipating the maturity of your relationship with that same child. My oldest starts high school in August. HIGH SCHOOL. My youngest just started walking. And there is NikkiZ in the middle…reminding me of the transitions.
Last night we were taking a detour to Hobby Lobby after dinner. I wasn’t sure if MrZ wanted to just sit in the car so I asked NikkiZ if she wanted to run in with me. She said, “Yes, Momma! I love going everywhere with my FamBilly.” She adds a -b in the middle of “family” – making it one of the only common words she hasn’t perfected. I just don’t even want to help her as it makes those lovely statements that much poignant and adorable. She has learned how much we love her adoration and uses it to her advantage every chance she gets. “Your the best Mom EVAH!” she’ll proclaim whenever she wants to do art. “Daddy? Can I cuddle with you?” when she wants him to stop watching the baseball game and turn on iCarly instead.
But it doesn’t matter. She is growing up to be quite a little lady and we love every minute of it. Even when she tells me that she thinks I’d be much prettier if I would wear dresses like she does.
“Hey! You can just borrow mine, Momma! That would be bee-you-ti-ful!”
Thanks, kid.
You are both doing such a nice job with her — she’s an amazing kid.
Sweet! You know you could triple your admierers by borrowing her dresses.
yes, I’m sure you’d get all sorts of attention if you wore her dresses!
Lil’bug says cheesebooger, dropping the r with an oo as in book (not as you’d say it to refer to nasal discharge). Scout keeps wanting to correct her. I’m in no rush, so I yes, I know what you’re saying.
My five-year-old still says “dRifferent”. I vacillate between wanting to correct her so she won’t sound like she needs speech therapy at school and not wanting to bring her attention to it because she might stop saying it.
Cute photo of NikkiZ! Hard to believe she’s that old! Her birth is when I first started reading your blog.
There’s a pretty big gap in ages in my family too. I’m 9 years older than my brother and eleven years older than my sister. Guess my mom might have felt the same way as you do.
Do you think she could come over and balance my checkbook, too?
oh, and Lil’bug’s favorite big kid thing to do? homework. I bought her alphabet practice books for beginning sounds which includes tracing letters and alphabet dot-to-dot so when Scout does his homework she does hers.
NikkiZ holds her pen very nicely!
awww I think this is one of the first pics I have seen of her that she really does look like a little girl and not a baby!
Awww. That’s precious. They grow up so quickly.
She’s so sweet. Almost makes me want a little girl. Almost. (I kind of like my Queen status in the house of boys.)