I'm officially old

Yesterday was Chantel's 13th birthday. Gawd, I can't believe she's already a teenager. It seems like yesterday I was toting her around on my hip and changing her diapers. Time has flown so fast.

I'm so thankful that we are in a safe and secure place now that she's entering this stage of her life. She's been through so much, and I can't imagine what it would be like for her if we were still living in an abusive home. These next years are going to be had as it is, I don't even want to think about what it would do to her to see and hear the things she has before.

Becase she's 13 now, she also has to change day centers. She will now be going to one for adolescents. She's so funny about it. Last week she told me that now that she's going to be around teens, she is going to make sure she wears her bra everyday. Such a dork. She told her therapist it's also because she doesn't want to have boobs like her mom. Thanks.

I threw her a party yesterday. One of her aunts from her dads' side came, her half-brother and her cousins from my side of the family. Two of her friends from the neighborhood came. It was nice to not have a bunch of people. She ended up with $55 from friends and family. I told her that was her rent money for next month. She didn't think that was too funny.

Even though she's reached the teen years, she's still my Chanie. Today we went to Salem Center Mall, and she wanted to go to the Elephants Trunk and buy stuffed animals. So we did, and she spent all her money there. Well, all but five and that she spent on Orange Julius' for her and her brother.

It's just too hard to believe that we're in this stage of life already. It's going to be interesting to see what she throws at me now.