Happy Birthday Dear Daughter!

24 years ago today

we added our first child to our family.

A beautiful, dark haired, darling daughter

that we had awaited with great anticipation.

It was unfortunate for her

that she was our eldest child

because that meant she was

also our practice child.

We learned how to parent

with her as our guinea pig.

I'm happy to say that she seems to have turned out

pretty great - despite all our efforts to ruin her.

I hope she is as lucky with her firstborn

as we were with ours.

Happy, Happy Birthday

Daughter Dear.

Happy Days Will Come

To You All Year.

If I Had One Wish

Then It Would Be

A Happy, Happy Birthday

To You From Me!

I just remembered where some of my

Olympic Issues got their beginnings.

This daughter was born during

the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles.

She was suppose to arrive on

August 1st,

but decided to be fashionably late.

I was miserable and

tired of being pregnant.

I had been having contractions

every 10 minutes for the entire day.

When they finally started to come

closer together

I was ready and anxious

to get to the hospital.

My husband was very involved

watching the Olympics.

As I recall

he very much wanted to see the

USA Women's Volleyball team play

their final game to

win the GOLD!

We didn't leave for the hospital

until we had watched them lose.

In his defense-

the contractions were still

5 minutes apart

and I was in labor

for 12 more hours,

after we got to the hospital,

before she was born,

but really,

no wonder I have negative

feelings toward the Olympic Games!

He's just lucky it wasn't beach volleyball.

I would have put down my foot if I had

to look at those skinny bodies in their bikinis.

They probably were more covered up

in 1984 anyway.

Today I am thankful

that I'm not in labor.

for a wonderful daughter who is another year older.

for another wonderful daughter who invited the boys in the family to her house for dinner so I wouldn't have to cook dinner when I didn't feel good.

I didn't leave the house today but my birthmonth present to me was to get to read a book. It was fun.