Four going on fourteen

I don't know if it's the comparison between a four-year-old and a one-month-old, but there's a lot of "big girl" stuff going on right now.

Around the time Finn was born, we were watching more tv than usual and you got hooked on iCarly. Really hooked in that it was all you wanted to watch. (This after many months of only watching Arthur with a smidge of Spongebob throw in for balance.) Fortunately, at the same time, the star of iCarly had released her first album so during a trip to WalMart with your dad, you picked up her new disc. You practically know all the words to all the songs and have exhausted yourself on more than one occasion dancing your little heart out. You've been working hard listening to it almost constantly in every room, in the van and in the car; you even record movies of yourself dancing and singing though we've never shown you a real music video. It's like you were suddenly a little teenager and not a preschooler, even wanting to dress like Carly. (Yes, I finally got you into your black leggings and jean skirt that had been shunned in favour of all things pink, pink and more pink in recent months.)



Last Thursday was your (second) special day at school. Dad was the special helper and I brought Finn in for show and tell. We made mini cupcakes with coloured cream cheese icing; pink for the girls and blue for the boys. It was a very anticipated event. In the week leading up to this, you began to talk about one of the boys in your class - a lot. You'd want me to pretend I was him and request his presence at your birthday party. You'd make plans to talk to him more at school and choose which cupcake he'd like to eat. You'd tell me how funny he was and wonder if he liked it when you and Brynn hugged him.

And then your special day happened and he ate three cupcakes, the first of which had pink icing that you hand delivered to him – but no one else. After school, you were pretending I was him when you said, "I think I'm starting to love you."

I suppose we had to expect you to "fall in love" at some point, but I didn't think it was going to be in preschool.

But then again, I can remember the first boy I had a crush on and that was in kindergarten. So it's not like we should be totally surprised. I think perhaps this is just a natural progression from liking the Disney princesses (and their princes), your obsession with jewelry, make-up and dress-up gowns, and finally your realization that since Peter Pan would never grow up "he won't make a good husband and want to buy a house and take turns making supper" (your exact words, by the way)...

Big thoughts for a big girl.