I thought it was only fitting ...

My Roo-girl -- the apple of my eye, the cream in my coffee, the heart of my heart -- is 18 years old today.

And although this blog has lain fallow (untouched and password protected) for more than a year, I thought this was a necessary post to write.

You have watched my girl grow up on this blog -- from an insecure middle schooler to a confident young woman.

And today, she is no longer a child.

Today, she is an adult.

The towhead toddler who had "juice and cake" with me at Starbucks before Mommy and Me class.

The teeny little flyer of the pee-wee cheer team, afraid of nothing in the air.

The insecure middle schooler you met at 13 just as she was celebrating her bat mitzvah.

The ninth grader who hopped out of the car on day 1 of high school and walked away without a backward glance.

The confident cheerleader who flies through the air.

The high school graduate who triumphed by getting accepted to all five out-of-state universities that she applied to.

And so, my precious girl, the world considers you a legal adult.

But to me, you will always be my baby girl.

Happy birthday, Roo. I love you from the bottom of the ocean to the top of the sky and ALL the way around the world ...

And then some.