Thursday, March 18, 2010

Twelve years

Twelve years ago today, we became parents. A tiny bundle of red-faced crying and endless neediness that somehow fast-forwarded to become this:

Eldest at the piano

This is my Eldest, who turns twelve today. Boy, has it gone fast…seems like just yesterday I was sobbing like the world was ending because the enormity of what just happened hit me like a runaway freight train…this tiny, perfect creature and hang on waitasecond you mean…I…am supposed to…I mean, you people DO realize that I’m a complete screw up who still doesn’t know what she wants to be when she grows up and I haven’t changed a diaper in like twelve years and furthermore aren’t I still a kid myself and besides all that where’s the instruction manual for this thing, why is it crying, why won’t it nurse, what’s WRONG with me OHMYGAH I AM GOING TO KILL THIS POOR SWEET INNOCENT BABY WITH MY INEPTITUDE…

Everything I thought motherhood would be was destroyed by this child…and rebuilt into something better, something stronger, something deeper and wider and a hundred times more wonderful.

She’s an amazing kid. She’s brave and smart and has a wicked sense of humor. She’s kind and generous and bossy and does an awesome disdainful sigh / eye roll combination. She loves animals and flowers, doesn’t like ice cream or hot dogs, and will shamelessly eat every single pea right off the vine.

She’s an artist and a dreamer. She dreams big, and sees no logical reason why they can’t all come true.

I love being her mother.

Especially since it means I can share things like this, from her wait-wasn’t-that-just-yesterday toddler days:

flower girl

Hee!

7 comments:

cari said...

Happy birthday to your beautiful girl, and happy birthing day to you!

froggiemeanie said...

The birthday of the eldest is always a bit of a dual celebration. She sounds like a real dynamo!

That pic will be even BETTER at her wedding. Mwah, ha, ha, haaaaaaa.

PipneyJane said...

Happy birthday, Eldest!

- Pam

Louiz said...

Hope Eldest has a really great birthday, and photos like that one really do get better with age!

marit said...

Happy Birthday, Eldest!!! Hope you've had a great day:-)

Science PhD Mom said...

Happy Birthday to your Eldest! I hope you have been the 'wicked cool' parents for her birthday and will enjoy several more years of parental coolness before she moves along to the grand adventure of college and life on her own. And happy parenthood birthday to you & your hubby--I'm sure it's been a crazy and wonderful ride!

Kali said...

I remember taking pictures that I knew I would need as blackmail during tween-dom and upwards.

Unfortunately, they had a great sense of humor and weren't phased a bit by baby bare bums and bubble bath dress-up.

Fortunately, I still get a kick out of them.

Happy birthday, Eldest and congratulations, mom!