8 going on 16, or 64.

My oldest niece turns 8 this week (seriously, 8? when did that happen?). Beth is a gregarious, outgoing, lanky little reminder of someone from my past. She is an excellent big cousin to the boys and is constantly worried about them. Punky has some food-related allergies and Bethie is always concerned about this. "Auntie T, does this cake have eggs? Mom are you sure you made these cookies without eggs? Auntie T, did you check with the waiter to make sure the food doesn't have egg." We repeatedly assure her that we are on top of this issues.

I have learned about High School Musical from her, and am starting to learn about Hannah Montana. These are things that I'm pretty much clear of over her in testosterone-ville. It's nice to have the little window into the preteen world of pop-culture and to have things to discuss with her. We had a long discussion this week regarding her thoughts that Hannah Montana has a peanut allergy, because it looks like she has a medic-alert bracelet on (according to Beth's new Hannah Montana Pillow). I suggested maybe she had something else like, I don't know, diabetes. And Beth laughed. "Auntie, all the kids in my class who have diabetes don't wear medic-alerts. Only the kids with peanut allergies".
Please note: 1. my niece's mother (my sis) is a doctor - so discussion of health-related issues, is normal to her, and requires little explanation. 2. she's smart, just like her auntie.

The other lovable thing about this little girl is her fascination with my knitting. She always asks if I knit what I'm wearing. She always notices.

So, when the time comes, I'll buy her some sticks and yarn and teach her the skill.

Until then, I'll make her little knits to show her how much I love her.