When Exactly Did She Change?

I should be making dinner but I can't stop thinking about the girl in this picture.

I'm thinking things like...

When did my sweet little baby get so tall? 

I remember her being more like this...

Just looking at her in these pictures I can smell her and feel her warm cheeks up next to mine.

I remember laying in bed with her every night to help her fall asleep when she looked like this

She would twist my hair.  I would sing.

"When ever I hear the song of a bird or look at the blue blue sky

when ever I feel the rain on my face or the wind and it rushes by..."

 and

"... I walk by faith 

a daughter of heavenly parents

divine am I in nature by inheritance..."

When exactly did I stop doing that?

When did her obsession with baby dolls, Pooh Bear and Hello Kitty come to an end?

When did she start keeping her shoes on and stop crying about those fit provoking sock seams?

When exactly did she change?

What happened to my little baby girl?

When did she turn into this?

and this?

When did she finally outgrow this?

and start turning into this

all those years I fretted that the phases would never end.  The up all night phases, the temper tantrums in target phases, the hating school or feeling like she had no friends phases.  The putting friends before family phase and the phone over family phase.  All that worry... for what?  

For her, to eventually turn into this...

A girl who knows who she is and all she can become. And... as much as I miss her soft and rosy newborn cheeks and her quirky little toddler habits and her falling asleep in my arms...

I am so blessed

with my beautiful 15 year old version of my sweet (not so little) baby Emily.

you still melt my heart.