Stand Back

Somewhere between all my doctor’s appointments and procedures…and Valentine’s Day…my daughter seems to have found her voice.

It was always there, but only known to us. We had the privilege, nay, the honor, of seeing her ham it up around the house. However she always seemed to become shy if anyone else dared watch. Sure she would let it out here and there, but she always saved the real her for when it was just the four of us.

She would let others talk first, she’s the baby after all. She would withdraw and cuddle into our necks if anyone asked her name, or how old she was.

And then, almost over night, something changed. Her fear and shyness and hesitation were gone. Well, almost.

While I am glad she’s seemed to have found the courage to be herself in public and beyond, I’m also…well, scared.

Why? Easy…she’s..she’s… gah. I don’t even know how to explain it. Leave it to my only daughter to have me struggling for words.

Let’s just say the girl already has her own hashtag on twitter and *I* didn’t give it to her. She’s been known to render men helpless with her cuteness, and make her father double over with laughter with her jokes. Lately she’s been singing every sentence instead of saying it and this comes just after a spell of only speaking in her ‘fake’ baby voice for months.

But what really matters here, is that just shy of her sixth birthday, she’s starting to come out of her shell. She is starting to show the world exactly who she is and who she is becoming. Sure she still hides a bit when friends come over, and refuses to speak at her school presentation…but just give her a bit. This girl we know and love is coming out, little by little, and trust me…once she gets going, you won’t want to miss the show.