The Bug

Saturday was my niece's birthday.

She turned 13.

She, like me, was the first: first child (for my little brother), first grandchild, and first niece.

I know I sound like a sappy grandmom, but I remember exactly where I was when my brother announced she was coming. I was at my grandmother's house mourning the loss of one of my favorite uncles. As one life ends, another begins.

My very first thought of Victoria was one of comfort.

I wrote a letter to her the day she was born, not even fully realizing how amazing that kid was going to be.

She is one of my favorite people on the face of the earth.

There are parts of her that are all her daddy. Some of her is just like her mama.

And then she's got quite a bit of Aunt Jenny in her.

I've apologized to my sister-in-law countless times for this.

Some fun facts about Victoria:

• When she was little, she wanted to be a girl farmer. (emphasis on the girl)
• She is smarter than everyone I know.
• As I drove her home from kindergarten one day, she posed a rather interesting question as she sat with my beagle in the backseat of my brand new car, "Dogs don't like gum, do they Aunt Jenny?"
• She always loved perfect shoes and fancy dresses.
• She is not a fan of "the fizzy kind"(soda) and she hated (or loved??) pizza with spots.
• She has a belly laugh that will bring tears to your eyes.
• When she was little and her mama turned on praise music and cleared out the living room furniture, Victoria would dance and make me cry.
• She loves having her back scratched, and for a while, the fountain song was her absolute favorite.
• She has a vocabulary that most adults don't know. When she was about 8, she knew how to use the word "plethora" correctly.
• She thought for a while everything red was "Bob."
• She is genuinely happy.
• I owe her $20 because she didn't cut her hair for months before my wedding.
• She told me, at the age of 5, that she was a news kind of girl.
• You want the entire world to end when you see her cry.
• She can read a classic novel in about a day and a half.
• Kory says she is the coolest girl he's ever met.
• I miss her every single solitary day of my life.