Today is the birthday of my oldest daughter, the teacher, the nurturer, the organiser, the empathiser, the cryer, the laugher, the hugger, the swimmer and…the runner.
When I brought her home from the hospital I threw a party and bought flowering potted plants to adorn the table. They were lilac and dusky pink Perriwinkles, delicate, transluscent and fresh, just like her.
I had found my love -name for her. Perriwinkle.
She was to find her favourite colour among the blooms. Purple.
When she began to run around she became “Perriwinkle-Twinkletoes.”
Then we called her Baby Legs because of the great speed she’d muster to fling herself at me or her blue-eyed Dad for a hug…just because!
Those Baby Legs cut a mean path straight to our shins. Then, with her arms wrapped tightly around us she’d pour all her baby love against us.
This year is our third consecutive July in London meaning that I have missed her birthday three times in a row.
For a Mum who hung on to her babies with a grip that needed a Caesar to bring them forth, missing birthdays is not something that comes easily.
This is what I did to make me feel better:
I texted “Birthday Gift” to her bright and early in the morning before anyone in America was awake to beat me to the post.
I ate pancakes and syrup, her all time favourite fare although she tells me she eats Sushi now which I am trying to visualize,
“Well, California rolls and chicken in a sushi restaurant,” she clarifies!
I enjoyed a pizza although the English aren’t much good at making this Italian delight.
I dusted the dreadful dark furniture in my bedroom, not that it needed it (honestly, it needs it every day) but because she shares the cleaning bug with me and I felt closer to her with my pledge and polishing cloth.
I smiled at a few babies on the way to communion. Perriwinkle is a magnet when it comes to young children and I tried it out! They all flirted and smiled at me and I knew how she felt!
I drank a nice cup of tea with a chocolate biscuit…dunked! Sorry Granny!
I made a yummy chocolate cake and sang Happy Birthday to it! It was delicious!
But best of all I spoke to PerriPoppins, her new name now that she works as a nanny, while taking a walk in the park, Skype is a wonder of technology.
She was bubbling over with the news of a friend from her Gloria days with whom she’d re-connected.
“We haven’t spoken since I was 8 and she was 9 and it felt like it was only yesterday!” she told me.
You know those sorts of conversations?
They share the same birthday, Bastille Day!
She and I reminisced about Surf and Swim birthdays, tea parties and Sally’s Secret!
Still on Skype but home now, we watched her unpack a little parcel we had put together to journey across the pond instead of us. It contained mostly chocolate…
I cooked chicken spaghetti with plenty of red-sauce and ate it with garlic bread, only I held the garlic!
She is definitely my daughter!
Next year PerriPoppins I’ll make sure we’re together!!
I love you and miss you! Have a fabulous day.
Well hello there! My name is Vivienne McNeny.
I am an empty nester exploring life as a Boomer…you could say I'm happily Boomering along!
As a homeschooling Mum I have finally quit the job of role model and mentor to my four children. I do what I want to do, eat when I feel like it, enjoy life with my blue eyed cowboy and clean my house once a month or so whether it needs it or not!
In true English form I write about the emergence of my true identity now that I can no longer hide behind my children as their Mum.
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