On Becoming a Mom/Birthday Happenings

At about this time on this day 10 years ago I held my first daughter for the very first time. I remember the room was dimly lit (ambiance lighting!) and I'm pretty sure I was in shock as I looked into that perfect little face. I couldn't fathom being responsible for that tiny life for the rest of MY life. Those first days and weeks lasted foreeeever because I was so tired, and at times I didn't think I'd ever have a "real" life again apart from diapers and feedings (but what new Mom doesn't feel that way?)
Fast forward ten years. Where has the time flown? That tiny little creature now has a unique personality that I've become intimately familiar with. She is quite a tomboy, loves roller coasters - the faster and more loops in them the better, plays soccer aggressively and is especially good at goalie ( she hates to let a ball get by her and loves to dive in front of them). She's a typical firstborn in that she orders her siblings around (do this, you aren't allowed to do that...) and is type A about following the rules. She enjoys helping my clean house and cook, especially when there's a commission in it for her and wants to learn all my recipes so she can cook on her own (she's still supervised for now, though). She's a voracious reader and loves mysteries, sci-fi (trying to discourage that one), and biographies. She can tear up a ski slope and is currently the unofficial mascot of our local ski patrol. I have no doubt that in 5 years she will be a full patrol member.
How could I have known all that 10 years ago when I first held her? I couldn't have imagined the new worlds she would introduce me to - asking me the tough questions, forcing me to really think through my beliefs as I answer, at times pushing my patience beyond where I thought it could go, challenging me to become so much less self-centered. Today may be Miss Bee's birthday, but in so many ways it's my birthday too - my birthday as Mom.

On a less introspective note, we spent Miss Bee's birthday at a local(ish) aquarium. It was so much less crowded than last time we went and we got to spend time talking to the volunteers about the fish. After watching the divers in the tank Miss Bee decided that she wanted to learn to scuba dive. No problem, we'll just get Grammy and Papaw to teach you since there's no way on earth I'M going to learn. On second thought, maybe she and Daddy can learn together - hmmm, might be a good birthday present in a few years. For lunch we ate a nearby restaurant and Princess decided she was going to get herself on the kid's hamburger wall of fame by eating a half pound hamburger (Miss Bee did this the last time we ate at the restaurant). I knew there was no way my little 6 year old Princess could eat that much, but we let her try anyway and guess what - she did it! Don't know where she put all that food?! I teased her the rest of the afternoon asking her if she was still hungry and she would just grin and say "Yes!".

All in all this was a great way to spend my 10th birthday as a mom - enjoying our family and making memories (I'll leave out the minor squabbles in the car - kind of like the labor pains, no one really wants to have a permanent record of them).