Evie, my oldest, recently turned 9. It might not sound as momentous as turning 10, but, for me, 9 is a really big deal.

It’s halftime.

Except, now is not the time for rest. Now is the time to keep moving!

All the time we’ve had with our Evie is equivalent to all the time we have left. She is well on her way to becoming an adult who will eventually move out of our home and away from our sphere of protection and influence.

So many emotions raced through my body on my daughter’s 9th birthday. I am so happy she is becoming her own person, but I am so desperate to slow time down and maybe even press pause once in a while. The passing of time and the growing of children is almost too much for a human to bear.

With 9 comes urgency. There is no time like the present to do all the things we dream about with our children. Now is the time to make memories!

With 9 comes sadness. Sadness about the weight of time and how quickly it passes. Sadness that I’ll never see Evie’s baby face again or hear her squeaky toddler voice. Sadness that sometimes when I hug her she lets go before I do.

With 9 comes relief. Wow, we are doing this parenting thing and doing it pretty well! Evie is smart and thoughtful and helpful. She (and we!) stumbles sometimes, of course, but we are here to catch her. She still needs and wants our guidance, and we are grateful to offer it.

With 9 comes love. Love for my husband for being such a wonderful partner in parenthood. Love for Evie for being patient with us while we figure out how to be parents. Love for the universe for giving me the gift of motherhood. Love for life!

With 9 comes curiosity. What will the next 9 years bring for our girl? Where will she go? Who will she be? What will the next 9 pictures look like??