Bigger Girl is 18 today.
Eighteen years ago today, i woke up in labor, two days before my scheduled C-section. Sweetie felt he couldn't get me to the hospital fast enough. Actually, i was close to rupturing by the time they got me to surgery.
She has been on the move since. She walked as early as she possibly could, and climbed everything she saw her older brother climb. Since she never saw him climb out of a crib, she never climbed out of hers.
She had to overcome several learning challenges. At one point, a psychologist who is well respected in the field of testing and diagnosing such things told us that if i worked with her very hard, she might be able to live in a group home someday.
She is going to graduate from high school next year, makes very good grades, and reads everything that holds still long enough to be read. At school, she is considered the walking encyclopedia and sets the curve on tests.
Part of her diagnosis was ADHD. Never did i give her anything more for it than supplements like B vitamins. She has great focus, can concentrate more intently than anyone i know, and keeps her room cleaner than any of her siblings.
Last summer she held down her first summer job. She did lab work, sterilized equipment, and assisted with animal care and experiments. Even when one cow was trying to get away, she stood her ground and got her hand into the position needed to get the sample they wanted. She was so good they were sorry to see her go at the end of the season.
She has grown into a sweet, loving, usually obedient, very sensitive person. Being an animal activist is her passion.
Happy Birthday Bigger Girl. You've made us proud.
Today is:
Day of Reconciliation with All Those Whose Hats Have Been Damaged -- Fairy Calendar
Earth Hour -- sponsored by World Wildlife Fund
Independence Day and National Day -- Bangladesh
Kirishima Nanohana Flower Walk -- Kirishima Jingu, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan
Legal Assistants Day
Make Up Your Own Holiday Day
Maple Syrup Day
National Nougat Day
Prince Kuhio Day -- Hawai'i, US
St. Braulio's Day (patron of Aragon, Spain)
Synaxis of the Archangel Gabriel -- Eastern Orthodox Christianity
Vienna International Spring Festival -- Austria, through May 17
Anniversaries Today:
Founding of the University of Utrecht, 1636
Birthdays Today:
Keira Knightley, 1985
Amy Smart, 1976
Kenny Chesney, 1968
Marcus Allen, 1960
Curtis Sliwa, 1954
Teddy Pendergrass, 1950
Martin Short, 1950
Vicki Lawrence, 1949
Steven Tyler, 1948
Diana Ross, 1944
Bob Woodward, 1943
Erica Jong, 1942
James Caan, 1939
Alan Arkin, 1934
Leonard Nimoy, 1931
Sandra Day O'Connor, 1930
Tennessee Williams, 1911
Viktor Frankl, 1905
Robert Frost, 1874
Today in History:
William Caxton prints his translation of Aesop's Fables, 1484
The first British Sunday newspaper is published (British Gazette & Sunday Monitor), 1780
The US Congress orders removal of Indians east of Mississippi to Louisiana, 1804
An earthquake destroys 90% of Caracas, Venezuela, leaves 20,000 dead, 1812
The Book of Mormon is published in Palmyra, NY, 1830
Eastman Film Co manufactures the first commercial motion picture film, 1885
New Delhi replaces Calcutta as capital of British-Indies, 1931
Jonas Salk announces the first successful test of his polio vaccine on a small group of adults and children, 1953
East Pakistan declares its independence from Pakistan to form People's Republic of Bangladesh, 1971
Anwar al-Sadat, Menachem Begin and Jimmy Carter sign the Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty in Washington, D.C., 1979
The "Melissa worm" infects Microsoft word processing and e-mail systems around the world, 1999
Caturday Saturday
1 hour ago
Ahh good for her. Your pride shows. Happy Birthday to your girl. Now that she's 18, you can forget about that "obedient" part. ;)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Hilary. Actually, she goes out of her way to be helpful, so i can probably still count on her to do things i ask around the house until she is out of high school, at least.
ReplyDelete