Milestones

I wish I had accompanying pictures for this. You all missed a whole heap of cute.

Yesterday Kid went on her very first real honest to goodness sleepover. She's had this same friend over to our house for two sleepovers, but Kid has never slept ANYWHERE without one of us. Ever.

Her friend had invited her, and Kid was excited about it, but also pretty nervous. I assured her that lots of kids get nervous and it is okay to come home whenever she wanted to, but that she should go and give it a try.

Her friend's mother also invited Baby. Now, Baby wasn't one bit nervous. She was quite excited about the prospect. She talked about it for days. There was no real way that that was going to actually happen... seeing as she's only 2 and wakes up at least 2 times in the night... but we let her go along. I knew that it was making it easier for Kid. And if you had seen Baby's little cherub face all lit up about her sleepover you would have given her anything she wanted too.

Mr F and I made a reservation for dinner (thank you Cougar) and then we planned to pick up Baby and bring her home for bed. I figured it also would be a good opportunity for Kid to bail out if she needed to without having to ask to call us (did you ever have to do that?... I did... and it was torture).

When we got there they were all in their PJs. They had just roasted marshmallows in their fireplace (how cool!). Baby had not missed us but she was ready to come home to bed... she was so worn out she actually fell asleep in the car. Kid was doing great and barely acknowledged us as we packed Baby up and hit the road.

But the cute part was watching them pack for the sleepover. Kid had a big rolling suitcase. She dressed in her BEST dress and even put on tights... yes... this is the same child who *cannot* put socks on by herself in the morning. Baby also dressed up... she wore tights (yep Kid managed to put tights on her too... hmm... I think I'll be a little less accommodating on Monday morning), slippers, a PJ top, and Kid put 8 bows and barrettes in Baby's hair. She looked special. She packed her belongings (several pairs of crocs, 2 of Kid's turtlenecks, a baby blanket, a baby doll pillow, stuffed animals, her halloween pants, junk mail, two necklaces, and a book) in a little wicker bin we use for books.

So as they came out of the house and down the front steps (I SO wanted my camera) they looked very funny. Kid was dressed up like it was Christmas eve... and... Baby looked like she had just escaped from a mental hospital.

They were both so proud of themselves and each other. They were grinning from ear to ear. I mean they thought they looked GREAT.

Later last night when we carried Baby in from the car and lay her in bed Mr F and I watched some TV. There wasn't really anything different than any other Friday night. At that time they'd both be in bed anyway... but... it felt so weird. We really felt Kid's absence. It was so strange. Mr F said "It's kind of exciting that they are getting older and kind of devastating. At least [Baby] is still a baby." "Yeah at least she's still small. If they were both seven I'd go in the kitchen and kill myself." I replied. We both laughed. But we also both had trouble sleeping. I got up at 3 and couldn't get back to sleep... it was uncomfortable not knowing that both my kids were sleeping soundly. It really is one of these big leaps toward independence. It is fun, and it is a new chapter that will bring new exciting experiences, but it also feels like we're leaving things behind. It's a total mixed bag of emotions.