Mood:

Topic: family
Y'all remember the Carpenter's song - Close to You? Yeah, I'm dating myself. Yesterday was my baby girl's 18th birthday! When she was a baby and toddler, my husband would sing that song to her - especially on her birthday.
On the day that you were born
The angels got together
And decided to create a dream come true.
So they sprinkled moondust in your hair
Of gold and starlight in your eyes of blue
No, she didn't have blonde hair - in fact when she was born she had very dark, black curly hair (which is now a lot lighter brown color). But she did have blue eyes - great big dark, sapphire color eyes (now they are green - like her father's).
I mention the Carpenter's song because my baby girl heard that verse of the song again yesterday - on the 18th anniversary of her birth. A birth that was stressful, difficult and took basically 4 days! The first time I'd had an epidural or a sedative during labor. And she was the 4th child! I often joke that if she'd been first - with all the trouble I had - she might have been the last!
She's no "baby" any longer. She has grown into a remarkable, self-assured, very poised young woman with a future of exciting possibilities waiting for her to grab and take hold. I marvel at her raw honesty and common sense. Oh, to have had a 1/10 of her common sense at that age! I know quite a bit is because she is the youngest of the kids watching her siblings grow and learning from them.
In the last few years, she's grown from a teen who would never be caught in a dress (I tended to believe this was due to the fact that being my last child and a little girl who I dressed in a frilly dresses as a baby and toddler) to a young woman who now has a few dresses in her closet! She's gone from being moody 24/7 to filling a room with her laughter more times than not.
Whatever she dreams for herself, I hope she gains. Happy (day late) birthday, my Senior Daughter!