Let's bring it up a bit, shall we?
Thanks for the kind remarks yesterday, and to clarify, yes 9/11 is still my daughter's birthday, I just didn't mention it to her that particular day, that's all.
Nine years ago I became a mom on that day. Even though I felt myself becoming a mother and thinking motherly thoughts months before, having that little person to nurture really defined the moment. The celebration is no longer fairies and pink, and the gifts become books, journals and technology gadgets, but this Mom gig just keeps getting better and better. It really does.
Helen's birthday feels more like 'Mother's Day' to me than any Sunday in May ever will. This is the annual day that I rememberer that still-dark morning drive to the hospital, all of that amazing stuff that my body was able to get through, and the sheer exhaustion that followed in the weeks that passed. (Exhaustion, might I add, that has permanently changed my definition of tired and alert states of being.) The uncertainty about my abilities to care for such a tiny 5 and 1/2 pound human ... all of that comes back to me on this September day every year.
Yesterday was a great time for my girl. Though 9/11 is relevant in the education of a person's world view, we didn't mention any of the national historic events. It was simply her day to be with family.
Tomorrow comes the slumber party.
