Great Expectations

Daughter No. 1 reaches a milestone birthday tomorrow.

(July 7 was my due date, hence the title of this post.)

We have bobbed across time's waters so swiftly that I barely know how we got to this day.

I will chalk that up to sleep deprivation. Also laundry. And cooking.

In time, I've gotten better at reflecting about my days rather than rushing through them. (And shame on me for having done too much of the latter when the kids were little and my brain still worked. Writing this blog has helped me slow down, and I'm very glad for it.)

But this post is about our girl.

Our sweet creation, one-point-oh.

Forever dressed too warmly. (In my defense, our old house in Kansas City was very drafty.)

You look so serious in this picture. But it captured your you-ness in ways the 9 million other photographs did not. (I hadn't realized how much these prints had deteriorated until I scanned this one. No offense!)

No matter what we did, you thrived, thank God.

Always in motion.

A champion talker (with inventive pronunciations).

A reader, bless you.

Smart, funny, impatient.

A "Let's go!" girl who thought napping the most ridiculous ritual ever invented.

Fearless (except for The Count on Sesame Street. And I have to admit, I found him pretty creepy, too.)

Gregarious. Curious.

Daring. Tender-hearted.

Fast forward and you are now the mother of two darling babies and zooming through your days.

Wishing you time to reflect on this day before your birthday, to remember and to enjoy yourself and all that your life holds.

Happy Birthday.