Emma's Birthday

Yesterday Emma turned nine. I'm so glad that she's my girl. I think everyone needs a girl. Someone to make you pretty Valentines and steal your hairbrush. Emma's grandparents gave her a book for her birthday: The Girls' Book-- How to be the Best at Everything. It's contents, among many other things, include How to make shadow puppets, How to whistle really loudly, How to eat with chop sticks, and my personal favorite, How to cope if zombies attack. Emma was reading it aloud to us last night. I wondered where the time had gone. Just when did my tiny baby wrapped in pink at the Yale New Haven Hospital become this tall confident girl, laughing as she read "If you have no choice but to stand and fight a zombie, always check your body carefully for bite marks afterward."