Dakotah turned 6 on October 17th.

Six is a big deal when you're six. And for Mom, its a big deal too.

Suddenly, she has turned from a little girl who played with toys and Barbies, to a 'big girl' who thinks just about everything is 'too baby,' for her.

As I tucked her in the night before her birthday, I lay beside her, holding her hand, and she wanted to know about my favorite birthdays.

I told her about my 6th, when I saw a Snow White watch in a store, and I wanted it more than I had ever wanted anything in my whole life, but my Mom wouldn't buy it for me.

I thought that was so mean of her, and Dakotah could relate to that, because she is now the proud owner of the world's meanest Mom, lol.

Well, my Mom went back to that store and bought the watch for my 6th birthday. What an awesome Mom. I loved that watch dearly.

When I was 8, my dad took me to a bookstore and told me I could pick out any books I wanted. I remember how magical it felt being in that giant bookstore, with all those books and they could all be mine.

I chose three books...Little Women, The Story of Helen Keller, and Charlotte's Web.

Looking back, I made pretty good literary choices for an 8 year old. Dakotah and I read Charlotte's Web from cover to cover this summer. She loved it like I did.

What I remember most about that day was that my dad never told me to hurry up and pick...he let me look and look and look.

When I was 18, I got a locket that had been my great-grandmothers.

When I was 21, my parents gave me a daughter's ring...with each of their birthstones wrapped around mine.

As I told her about my birthdays, her eyes twinkling with excitement, it occured to me that there probably won't be all that many more birthdays when I'm so fascinating to her.

Soon, she'll want to call friends on the phone, and write notes that Moms can't see. She won't want me laying with her talking about my day.

But for now, my little girl who is struggling to do all the 'big girl' things still has some of that little girl stuff inside.

She fell asleep with her arms wrapped around my neck, and it felt pretty darn good.

I knew that the next day would be full of giggling 6 year olds at her party, and ripping open presents. She loved the boom box that we gave her, and I haven't even been driven too crazy with Spice Girls music yet.

I love her so much, she's so beautiful, so very perfect, even though there are times when she drives me nuts.

Don't grow up too fast on me, sweetheart....