I blinked and you changed.  I really didn't know that it was going to be almost overnight, at least that's how I feel.  One day we took you to get braces put on and the next day we were taking them off.  Dr. Schoff said about two years and that's almost what it was.  During that time, I thought that it was slow but looking back the time flew by.  It wasn't just an outward transformation of your teeth but it was also an inner transformation as well.  You went from 12 years old and quiet, starting your first year at school to being 14 years old and taking a high school class as well as middle school classes.  You've come out of your shell.  You were quiet and we would marvel when you would laugh.  It would be a deep belly laugh but not often.  Now you laugh more freely and still that belly laugh.  You tease much more than ever before. You still love puns but now you are usually trying to have a come back pun for each situation. You have always been tender hearted but when you brought your "pigger" home, it really shone through in your handling of her. You care deeply about your friends and take time to really know them and what they like. You are still picky about your food but are willing to try most things. Your tastes are unique. I guess I really didn't know that you were transforming like a catapillar into a butterfly, yet not quite grown. I love the mornings that you still come downstairs and cuddle into my arms, or the nights that you crawl into my bed after a nightmare.








Maybe the passage of time isn't so fast as the braces and classes make it seem.