10 years old?? Say what??!!

How can that possibly be?  It seems like yesterday you were sitting in your high chair with Gerber apple sauce dribbling down your chin.

Now you’re as smart as a young Einstein, athletic, beautiful with friends galore wanting to be around you.

If you don’t think turning 10 is a big deal, just think about what you’ve accomplished over the past decade. It’s AMAZING:

Born July 20 – that wasn’t easy!  You had to leave the comfort and security of a place that was your first home for nine months. Dark, peaceful, loving sounds, no hassles, into a world of bright lights, loud noises, commotion and excitement.  This may be the most radical transformation we all go through!

Smiling – after a few months of “business as usual” (sleeping, pooping, crying, not sleeping, etc.), a wonderful day finally arrives when your brain tells your mouth “Hey, try moving your mouth in a different way… lift the corners of your mouth North a bit so you look happy and more interesting.  People will LOVE this and they’ll pay even more attention to you!”

Developing a personality – after you got the smiling thing down and it was no big deal, you decided to add a little more pizazz and “work the room” even more, interacting in new ways.  Shaking your head.  Making more noise.  Better eye contact.  Moving your body in new ways. The whole shebang.  Pretty soon you were in total control of your parents, siblings and grandparents and everyone was wrapped around your little finger.

Going mobile –  after months of crawling and learning how to get up on your feet while holding on, your brain told you “Hey, smarty pants, it’s time to up-your game and get those feet moving.  They can do a lot more than stand there.  They can TAKE YOU PLACES!   Think about it!  You’ll be able to do your own thing instead of wasting half a day crawling on your belly like a reptile, getting crumbs and dust bunnies all over you.”

Learning to talk –  all the silly babbling eventually gets you to words… words your parents and siblings can actually understand a little bit.  Classics like Baby, Mommy, Daddy, Water.  Water might sound like ‘wah wah’ and Daddy might sound like “da da” but who cares!  You gotta start somewhere!  Parents and grandparents eat that stuff up, it’s so darn cute. Petty soon your parents are saying stupid things like “baby want to go in the wah wah?”  It’s hilarious.

Giving up diapers –  –  this is an incredible step forward – for parents!  The day eventually comes when your brain finally puts two and two together and says:  “Hey, smarty pants, did you ever think of putting that smelly stuff that comes out of your butt in a T-O-I-L-E-T?   That white porcelain thing people sit on in the bathroom.  Yeah, that thing.  Put the seat down, put your butt on it and push that nasty stuff into the water, instead of walking around with it in your back pocket.  Know what I mean?  Makes a lot more sense. Then – and here’s the best part – get your parents to wipe your butt when you’re done – after all who wants to touch that? They’ve got experience – they’ve been using their own hands to clean up your poop for years!”

Becoming independent  (Phase One) – this growth stage is challenging for parents because one day the innocent little baby brain gets smarter and says “Yo, aren’t you getting a little tired of listening to your parents all the time?  It’s WAY more fun to do what YOU want.  You’re a lot smarter anyway.   Don’t worry about them, they’ll always love you. Try some new stuff, get a little wild and crazy! For example, you don’t have to sit on chairs, you can use them to climb and stand on.  That’s how you get yourself on top of that kitchen counter! It’s so cool, try it!!”

Going to school –   Another major step forward in personal independence.  After years of being around your parents and siblings all day, you leave the safety of this second life cocoon and go to a new, strange, big place new people, all over the place…  most of whom you don’t even know! And once you finish the pre-school and kindergarten thing, you have to spend seven hours at school, five days a week from September through June! That’s a lot to ask a kid.

Learning –  this happens the moment you leave the womb, but it really starts escalating once you’re in school.  It’s not easy!  When you were a little kid, your parents read to you every night.  And yeah, they try to teach you the ABC and how to count.  But it’s no heavy lifting. Once you’re in school, teachers expect you to remember all the letters and numbers, read on your own and learn other boring stuff like who our first President was.  And what about those endless homework assignments, gimme a break!

Trying new things –  a zillion extras are thrown into the mix as you shift gears from newborn to toddler to full time student. Learning how to play soccer. Dealing with newborn siblings (who asked YOU to enter my life?!?).  Trying new foods (most of which are disgusting).  Washing your own hair, brushing your own teeth, getting dressed. yadda, It never ends!

Making friends – this is one of the best parts of becoming your own person – deciding who you want to hang around with, laugh with, cry with and tell your secrets to.  Sleepovers.  Birthday parties.  Sports.  Class projects.

That’s a lot of change and growth over 10 years, right? 

So happy birthday Ainsley and welcome to a whole new decade, a decade that will see you graduate from Middle School, High School go to College, become a woman and achieve amazing things way better than wiping your own butt.

Trust me.

Love you lots and always will.