Thirteen Years Ago Today

[indyellen]

Thirteen (thirteen? How did it get that long?) years ago today, at 1:31 am (which, as Tony pointed out, had we observed DST at the time would've been 2:31 am) my lovely daughter Jessica Lynn was born.

I've had my rough patches at being a mom, and things haven't been easy for Jessica over the past thirteen years, but she is the joy of my life and a precious, precious gift. I had expected her to be taken away from me - permanently (due to her health problems at birth) but, thank Ghods, she wasn't.

And today she's a teenager. ;) I realize that it's not going to get any easier on me from this point forward, but - if we can survive the *last* thirteen years, well, we can survive the *next* thirteen, too.

I remembered this morning that there was a song that I felt "summed up" my feelings about being a mom...even though it's not about parenthood, it seemed to capture what I felt in these lines:

So caught up in you, little girl
And I never did suspect a thing
So caught up in you, little girl
That I never want to get myself free
And baby it's true
You're the one
Who caught me baby you taught me
How good it could be

("Caught Up in You", :38 Special)

(Yes, I know it's a love song, but it's just this part of it.)

Anyway, in the interests of showing the difference in how she's grown, and potentially embarrasing her by publishing pictures of her on the internet (albeit privately):

Jessica Then and Now



Then:

(This is the obligitory 1st birthday messy cake picture.)



(Jessica playing in one of her presents - a bath chair. It didn't last long. ;) )



(Jessica after the first bath in the new bath chair - she's being held by Grandma, and you can see the scars from her chicken pox she had right around her birthday.)



(One of my favorite pictures - she's about 2 or so in this one.)

Now:


(Jessica being cute around the house.)



(Jessica with this year's science fair project.)



(This year's school picture.)



Well, the sum of it all is:

HAPPY 13TH BIRTHDAY JESSICA!!!

Comments

[brujah.livejournal.com]

*hugs you tightly*

We really need to let our offspring meet one of these days. You done good, dollin. She's a gem.

Happy Birthday to Jessica!!

[indyellen.livejournal.com]

Not just our offspring...I'd kinda like to get to meet YOU, too, given we've been friends for almost 8 years. ;)

*hugs*

[alexandralynch.livejournal.com]

Wow, she grew! And she's turning into just as lovely a woman as her mother is. (hugs) Love you both, dear.

[indyellen.livejournal.com]

Thank you very much. :)

*big hugs*

Love you, too.

[kestrels-nest.livejournal.com]

Give her a hug from her godmother, would you? She's as wonderful now as she was when you two lived with us. For that matter, if you can send me a phone number so I can call and wish her happy birthday directly. The addie is momagc on a gmail account. (Thus ducking the spammers...I hope.)

[indyellen.livejournal.com]

I will give her a phone hug when I speak to her later tonight, and a real one this weekend.

Info is off to you via email...if you don't get it, email me at indyellen1 AT comcast DOT net. She will be *thrilled* to hear from you. :)

[velvet-wood.livejournal.com]

Awwwwwww.... Now I'm all teary-eyed. What sweet pictures!

I got to hold my baby niece for a looooong time this weekend, and it stirred up all those horrible hormonal impulses and left me in the most nostalgic, emotional mood you can imagine. Now everything sets me off!

That's a _good_ school picture, too! It's always hit and miss with those, that's for sure, but it's so nice when one turns out great. Scary, too, to see one's 'baby' looking all grown up... My girl is still just 8, and she has a couple of little dresses that, when she puts them on, absolutely terrify me! I'm not looking forward to thirteen. She's too much like me for me to not spend her teenage years scared to death. Fortunately, my boy is my eldest, and he's a sensible, mature, sweet little fellow. It's nice to have the easy kid first.

Happy birthday to Jessica, and happy "I gave birth to this wonderful girl!" day to you! Have yourself a piece of cake and some happy tears, sweetie.

-Vel

[indyellen.livejournal.com]

I'm holding off on the happy tears until later when I have a shoulder to cry on. ;)

I was looking for a different picture this morning, and came across the picture envelope labeled "1st Birthday" (I'm crappy about things like photo albums) making it a perfect choice for today. I'd almost forgotten how cute she was.

If you go back around Halloween, I posted a picture of her in her Bratz Doll costume...scared the HECK out of me, looking at her in low-rider velvet pants & a top with shiny PVC. *shudder* But I'm keeping my fingers crossed she'll be sensible as she gets older. The "crushes" she has are amusing, though. :)

[ero.livejournal.com]

OMG

She's all grown upish... boyfriends are next... many of them.. and the phone calls.. and the dates.. and the...

Damn I'm glad I have a son... *grin*

send love to her from down here on the southside....

[indyellen.livejournal.com]

Will do, Skippy.

Yeah...there's a saying I heard. "When you have a boy, you only have to worry about 1 penis. When you have a girl, you have to worry about ALL of them." ;)