From Barbies and Board Games to Perfume and Lip Gloss

Holly's taste has changed. The Little Mermaid and Cinderella posters have long been replaced with glossy shots of the High School Musical cast and Joe Jonas pics cut out of magazines... her Hello Kitty CD player has been replaced by a lime green ipod with attached speakers. Her Johnson's no tear shampoo gone and the space in her shower reserved for Aveeda products only. Her princess toothbrush holder is nowhere to be seen... now sitting in it's place on the vanity is a blowdryer and a hair straightener. She no longer asks for Barbies and Board Games ~ she asks for Perfume and Lip Gloss.... my baby is not a baby... she is 15!

Holly gave me a huge hug this morning at 7:30 ~ exactly 15 years from the moment she was born. I told her she owed me a lot more than a hug... she hurt me bad!!! : ) She hugged me again - chuckled as she appologized and reminded me not to forget her meal request for the day ~ lasagna.

I really can't believe that she is 15! We pulled her birth certificate out of the file cabinet last night and chuckled at the grimace on her face in her first picture(she still makes that exact face when she is not happy... exact face!!!) ! We read over her "stats"... having to depend on the English translation as my Thai is so rusty it is pretty much gone!

What an experience Holly's birth was - a c-section in Bangkok, Thailand. My second in 19 months. I was not sick a day during my pregnancy with Holly and the birth was much easier... I was a bit older and knew what to expect the second time around. But 9 days in a Thai hospital with the only American baby... it was an experience trying to get my daughter from the nurses!

From day 1, Holly was the easiest baby. She ate and slept and quietly explored her world ... she didn't cry. She was adored by her big brother (wonder when that disappeared????) and "made over" where ever we went ~ strangers would stop us to comment on her. It was her eyes. They were/are magnificent blue, large and expressive!

She is her father's daughter - she is a social butterfly. While tonight, we will have a quiet family dinner in celebration of her special day, on the 21st she will have a grand night with her 21 best friends! They will watch a movie, eat pizza, and learn the art and enjoyment of the American delicacy... the smore! Yes... we are introducing 21 teenage girls - from an array of foreign countries - to the ever tasty, ever classic ~ smore! All authentic ingredients are on the way from the US as I type... thank you NETGROCER.com!!! I think we might have found the secret to world peace.... :) The SMORE!!!!

The theme is a "Movie Premiere" with a bit of Rock-n-Roll on the side. Holly is making mixed CDs for party favorites... 15 for 15... her favorite 15 songs from the first 15 years of her life! The movie... Can't Buy Me Love... a classic teenage American movie... from the 1980's.... think McDreamy's first movie!!! It is definitely an Australian premiere for this movie!

Should be a great night for Holly and her friends!

I still can't believe she is 15 and I am wrapping big-girl presents! It does seem like last week when I was setting up the Little Tykes kitchen for her 3rd birthday! I sure do wish I could slow down time and keep her a while longer.... While some children cautiously go forward keeping mom and dad close by as they grow ~ Holly leaps and flies! Her future is made up of grand plans and distant lands. As much as I want to clip her wings to keep her grounded (and close to home) , I admire her desire to strive toward such enormous goals!

She might be ready for this growing up stuff.... but I'm certainly not!

****We just had a great little "party" for Holly! Here are some pictures from our little celebration....