Growing Pains

When Emma-Caroline was just about to turn five years old she came to me with a request, "Mommy, can I get my ears pierced?" At the time I quickly replied, "When you are eight years old you can," not realizing that three years was not an eternity and would pass by very quickly. Just before her eighth birthday this past Sunday, Emma-Caroline again came to me this time saying, "Mommy, you said I could get my ears pierced when I turned eight. I want to go ON my birthday and get it done. Can I?" I had indeed told her that she could get her ears pierced at the age of eight, it was the year I had my ears pierced as a child, but I thought she would forget. No such luck! Emma-Caroline then showed me all of the research she had done on her computer about how to take care of your ears when they are first pierced and the types of earrings she could wear that would be good for newly pierced ears as well as her wish list  of earrings at Claire's Boutique in the mall. I was impressed with her efforts of responsibility regarding her ears and getting them pierced so I agreed that we would go on her actual birthday to get it done.

 After Sunday school and church we took Emma-Caroline to her favorite restaurant Wasabi for her birthday lunch. Emma-Caroline's BFF Mary Caroline joined us for the celebration.

 Emma-Caroline and Mary Caroline are often mistaken as twins. Mary Caroline's mom and I grin and nod our heads and agree that the girls do resemble each other, A LOT. We don't even plan their outfits but some how they always seem to be coordinated.

 All three of our girls enjoyed a huge slice of chocolate cake after a yummy hibachi lunch.

 We then made our way to the mall and to Claire's Boutique where Emma-Caroline picked the March birthstone to be her first pair of earrings.

 Emma-Caroline was all smiles as she hopped up in the chair to get her ears pierced.

 I was very impressed with Claire's attention to cleanliness and sanitation before piercing new ears.

 The longer the preparation took for Emma-Caroline to get her ears pierced, the more nervous she got. The lady asked if we wanted to have one ear pierced at a time or both at the same time.

 Howie replied that one ear at a time would probably be fine. I quickly disagreed and told the nice lady that we would like both ears pierced at the same time.

 Emma-Caroline's ears were marked with the perfect placement for the new earrings.

 Howie filled out the paper work for the ear piercing and the guns were set.

 Emma-Caroline got even more nervous when she saw the ear piercing guns ,so being the awesome best friend that she is, Mary Caroline held Emma-Caroline's hand.

 Emma-Caroline had a whole audience watching and cheering her on as she got her new earrings.

 Knowing how Emma-Caroline reacts to getting a shot at the doctor's office . . .

 This is why I wanted to have both of her ears pierced at the same time! Howie has never been present for shots, so he didn't know that one ear at a time would have resulted in her having only one earring :-)!

 After the initial "pain" of the piercing and a few tears shed, Emma-Caroline recovered . . .

 and took a quick look at her newly pierced ears.

 Still a little upset from the "growing pains" of turning one year older and having her ears pierced.

 And finally a true smile and a happy face for our sweet Emma-Caroline.

 Eight is a wonderful year to be, I think. It is a bridge between being a little kid and gaining more independence and responsibility as one grows older. It's not always easy to grow up and experience any kind of growing pains.

 But it always helps to have a very good friend and little sister to help you get through and to cheer you on.

Linking to Finding Serendipity Today