to the nines

our baby is nine today.
i am in complete denial.

i don't know when it happened,
but suddenly she is different.
a little more self-assured,
a little less shy,
a little more comfortable in her skin.

she doesn't need me as much,
yet she still wants me around.
most of the time.

she listens, usually,
eats anything, mostly.

sometimes she asks questions,
i don't really have answers to.
that scares me a bit.

her feet are the same size as mine,
she likes to wear my high heels.
that scares me a lot.

i can't carry her to bed anymore.
even piggyback.

but she is forever our baby.
the original.