Little girls grow up

Kayla went to her first dance on Saturday. It was a big step for us. One that was hard to take.

She'd decided the week before the dance that she would like to go. And with the passing of Grandma Wade, we all had other things going on. We couldn't just drop everthing and go dress shopping. Thankfully, Grandma had promised to buy Kayla's first dress. And thankfully Aunt Amy was in town. So, Grandma gave them some money to go shopping! What fun for them! The shoppers in the family get to go shopping together!! Yay. From the sounds of it, they tore through the stores at the mall searching for that dress, the "right" one. And they found it, after trying a few others on. Even getting a great deal on it. I was glad for Kayla that she found one so easily. They also got a pair of shoes, a nice little pair of heels for Shorty Kayla.

It is so weird to see, and yet so awesome to see. She looked absolutely fabulous in her dress. She looked stunning with her hair, makeup and jewelry all situated just perfectly. I mean, seriously, this child could not look any better. She is a beauty on a daily basis. (I am allowed to be biased, I am her mother after all.) But seeing her dressed up and looking so polished, it was an amazing transformation. One that kinda chokes me up a bit.

I took her to get her pedicure, helped her pick out the perfect shade of sparkly silver for her polish. I helped her scrunch her hair, so that it'd be curly. After doing all the preparation work with the exception of putting on the dress, she went to Megan's house for the finishing touches. Then it was time for us to go take pictures and see the finished look.

When I walked in, I saw my precious little girl. I had a flashback of cute little 3 year-old Kayla in her dress-up clothes. I'm picturing cute little Kayla with her curly ringlets, her tiny feet crammed in a pair of too-big high heels, with her frilly, pink, lace-filled silky dress. And as I clear my head to truly look at this beauty in front of me, I see that my little girl is growing up. I see that I no longer have that cute little girl anymore. She's making the transformation right in front of me. And this newly-found little lady was radiant! Once she got to Megan's house, she was taken under their wings and transformed even more. Dana, Megan's mom, took the curling iron to her hair and curled it, making large versions of the ringlets I'd once known. They had her wear some matching jewelry, a necklace and bracelet - even earrings!! Woah!!

Looking at her, I caught myself trying to imagine how she was feeling and what she was thinking. I was in such wonder of her. It seemed to me that she was nervous, maybe even uncomfortable. And that could be that she was out of her element. She was in a DRESS! Something that hasn't happened in many years! And it could be that she was the only one without a date, although Megan and Jenn's dates were just friends. Maybe she felt odd? Maybe she just didn't know what to expect. I don't know. But I do know that the look on her dad's face was one that I'm glad I captured! The look on his face gave me even more to wonder about. I haven't asked him. I haven't brought it up because I'll get the macho version. But I'm sure that there was something more in that look. Something along the lines of how my thoughts were skittering about, of how much I was filled with wonder and amazement. In time, I'm sure I'll get the truth to come out.

Soon, all the dancers left the house and left the parents to sit and wonder. It was a new experience for me. And I'm not sure it's something I can get used to. But I know it is time for me to try.

I went to pick up the girls after the dance. The parking lot was full of snow, there were areas that held 6-8 inches of snow! These poor girls, in their dainty heels, bare feet, and fancy dresses of all lengths were trying to make their way through the piles of snow to their respective cars. Some were carried by their dates through the lot. My three girls finally appeared. It was a sight! They RAN as best they could to the truck. Tyler and I were warmly situated in our seats and ready for the giggly mess that was coming our way. They climbed in and the quiet that we'd seen was now erupting in giggles, hysterics, and chattering teeth. I was caught in this parking spot because there were cars stuck in the snow around me. When I finally thought I had a clear shot of escape, there came a banging on one of the windows. Poor Jenn screamed at the top of her lungs, not knowing what was going on in her window. They opened the door or window (I'm not sure which) to find a poor girl standing in the snow, freezing her toes off. This girl was holding Kayla's nice, strappy heeled shoe!! She was saying that this shoe was left in the snow just outside the truck. My immediate thought was "REALLY???!". And soon after it came out of my mouth!

In her frantic rush to get into the truck, she'd lost her shoe and not even known it. Her feet were numb and frozen. All she could think was to get into the truck. And of course, the laughter that exploded after the shoe's rescue was deafening. The whole way home, which is about 15 minutes, was filled with little gossips, snippits of who did what and who danced with who. Oh, yes, these little girls are growing up. No more are the talks of barbies, dolls, and butterflies. Now the talks are of hot guys, gossip, and starry-eyed dreams of those hot guys.

Woah. I don't think I was quite prepared for this. Where have I been? Where did time go? It seems like it wasn't THAT long ago that I was in this phase. Now, I'm the mother. I'm the one at home worrying and wondering. I'm the one that is on the receiving end of rolled eyes, the one that can't be trusted with confidences, the one that isn't cool anymore. Wow. This is news to me. And it is surely NEW to me.

So, now you see, little girls do grow up. And I have one in that process right now. It's unavoidable. So, I must say "Thank you" to Amy for shopping with Kayla for her dress and shoes, to Mom (Grandma) for giving Kayla the money to shop with, to Dana for giving Kayla the little transformation that shocked us all. You have all shown me that I missed out on so much in my growing up, that I have alot to learn, and that I have alot more to look forward to. Thank you all so much!

I think I'm ready. I must be ready. I have to be ready!! Oh, wow, I don't think I'm ready!!!