I said my famous line to my oldest daughter last night,
“Twenty-six years ago I was longing to meet my first little girl…”
She was my third child and after two boys I had opted to find out the sex of my hidden baby because this time around knowing whether I was carrying a little boy or a little girl would take all the angst out of the next seven months of my pregnancy.
I had an amniocentesis because I was considered at increased risk for bearing a child with a birth defect,
In other words…a little long in the tooth.
“Do you want to know the sex?” the lab tech asked brandishing the biggest needle I had ever seen.
“Yes please,” I answered closing my eyes.
When my daughter was born she already knew her name,
I’d been singing silly songs to her,
“I love Paris in the Springtime!”
I’d introduced her to all my colleagues,
“Hi Paris,” they would say as I walked down the halls.
I’d encouraged her big brothers to talk at her,
“See my Pibbit Paris, see it?” said Ian as Simon held his well loved Piglet up to my tummy.
“I’ll teach you how to dance to Sesame Street. Watch me now Paris!” said Ian patting my bump and stamping his feet.
I also wore a sparkling pin that spelled out PARIS and shone.
We spent the next twenty years together on her special day.
I’d always recount what I was doing in the days leading up to our first meeting.
“I was running around after two boys aged 3 1/2 and 16 months,
“I was still working at Ticketmaster,
“I had a live-in nanny named Bia to help with your rowdy brothers,
“I gained about 22 lbs, you weighed 20 so I only had to lose 2!” She always groaned at the worn out joke.
“I threw a tupperware party,
“And was waiting for your Papa to come home from a world tour with The Bee Gees!”
Old, well loved stories!
“On your birthday (the 200th anniversary of Bastille Day in Paris, France where your father and I had fallen in love) I got up early, had a shower then went off to have you!”
I’d end my stories with a flourish,
“And here you still are all those years later!”
For the last five years we’ve been apart on her birthday, which has been very difficult for a mother who only let her children go with the help of a knife!
We’ve had to do the reminiscing over Skype because she was either away or we were in London.
This year we are in Florida and because texts and calls don’t come close to a warm bodied hug she flew to be with us in sleepy Turkey Creek.
“We get to spend a whole week celebrating your turn of another year,” I said.
So here we are,
Cooking fajitas, lasagne, hamburgers, ribs and enchiladas,
Remembering a fun filled childhood, sibling games, trips to England, baby-legs and wild animal pets,
Watching movies,
Being blessed at church,
Walking the dogs,
Riding bikes,
Playing card games like Phase Ten, 3 up 3 down and Skip-Bo (and modifying them as my brother and I would have done),
Having doggie-sweet-nothings whispered in her ear,
Opening cards and gifts, and
Visiting Miami for the day before toasting with champagne… followed by…
The traditional Chocolate Trifle!
Being together on birthdays is always the best…
Happy Birthday Periwinkle Twinkle Toes.
I love you, love you, love you, always!
BMF!!
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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