Bracing Myself

Brace yourself and get a look at my girl's new smile. 😁😍 After 19 months, Katie's braces are off.  She's finally free! Yay!

As I captured that photo above showing her new bright smile, it dawned on me how fast time went by. How could that little girl just 19 months ago look so much like a real teen now? She is thirTEEN, after all. But deep down in my heart, I miss having a spunky and chunky, perfectly-sized to hug little five-year-old Katie. Now, she's still fun to embrace, except she doesn't want to languish on my arms long enough to sing, tickle, and cuddle to get my fill of her laughter. 

Lately, I have to go to her room and vie for her time to even look at me. It's me against the wifi/cellphone/computer again. I suppose I created that monster. Oh, well. All good. My only wish is that she keeps hugging me still every time she passes by me and that she keeps rockin' those smiles forever. 

Look at this picture of hers when she first got her metals on. Don't you agree that she's grown so much within 19 months?