And it all began today....

Today is the birthday of my first daughter.  Which means this is the anniversary of the day I became a mother.  I had wanted to be a mom ever since I realized there was such a thing.  And the journey has been far more wonderful than I ever imagined, thanks to the Englishman and my three daughters

The biggest hurdle to first overcome on that journey was convincing the Englishman that I was in fact in labor.  He insisted I wasn't, mainly because he was starving for sleep and hoped we could wait till morning.  But our first daughter had her own ideas and arrived two days early, at 8:15 on a cold January morning.

My first question when they said it was a girl was "is her nose big?"  (Don't ask, lifelong battle between my nose and I). I was ecstatic to have a girl.  And she looked like me!  I hadn't given much forethought to a middle name, but after going thru natural childbirth I thought it only fitting that she have my name so she would remember, for the rest of her life, who brought her into this world! Her sisters also have the same middle name.

Daughter #1 was a sweet, wonderful child.  She seemed to have been born with a great deal of knowledge inside her and was far more mature than other children her age.  She truly loved going to school!  The first time she got on the bus for nursery school, she sat on the seat, looked straight ahead and didn't shed a tear.  It was as if she were on a mission.  And her love of learning has never stopped.

After her college graduation ceremony, I hugged her tight and as the tears rolled down my face confessed to her, "I always wanted to be like you when I grew up".  She had grown into an amazing woman - so smart, capable, caring and eager to take on the world.  I was so very happy for her.

Today she has built an incredible life, filled with world travel, friends, a fabulous home and two challenging basset hounds.  I have always been incredibly proud to be her mother. And I feel exceptionally blessed to also be her friend.

So Happy Birthday, Binzer - may this year be filled with wonderful adventures and dreams coming true!