We have a perfect, lovable, funny, and creative nine year old in our house now.

At nine, Penny is starting to show signs of the very cool big girl she is becoming. My favorite thing in the world is listening to her chat with her dad. Whether it's a running commentary on the latest episode of "Cutthroat Kitchen," or a discussion on the virtues of the Spice Girls (her very vintage, most recent obsessions), the two of them talk like old friends.

She is incredibly patient with her little sister, Mary-Blair, probably more than any of us is. Penny invites Embee to play dolls, or to sing karaoke with her (again with the Spice Girls), or to take bubble baths together.

Penny's tastes are changing, too. It's been a while since the Disney Channel has been on. It's Cartoon Network now, with shows like the "Teen Titans." What's more, she gets the jokes. She really gets them, and her sense of humor is a lot like mine and Orlando's, which is just so fun.

These days, our lives are filled with multiplication tables and division, and all sorts of creative endeavors, including writing an iPhone manual for her grandmother, or writing Spice Girls fan fiction (I'm not kidding about this new phase. It's very "Girl Power" all the time).

Penny is becoming, in short, the kind of person I'd choose for a friend. She's loving and funny and happy. So very happy, and I wish this for her every day of her life.

Happy birthday to my girl, the one who made me a mom in the first place. We love you, Penny.