This is 9

 This is 9

She’s not little
But not quite big

She wants her independence
But still crawls into my bed when it storms

She rolls her eyes one minute
Then melts in my arms the next

She asks big questions now
About the world
About friendship
About who she is becoming

She’s finding her voice
She’s testing limits
She’s watching everything I say
And noticing everything I don’t

She’s soft
And fierce
And funny
And emotional
And full of magic I can’t always explain

She’s growing fast
Right in front of me
And I’m doing my best to keep up
To stay patient
To hold space for the little girl she was
While making room for the woman she’ll be

This is 9
And it’s beautiful
And hard
And sacred
And I wouldn’t trade it for anything