She is beautiful and smart and funny and strong. She is talented and creative and driven. She is organized beyond anything I have ever thought of being capable of. She is an amazing mother to my grandchildren.
I remember everything about the day Alyssa was born. I had been having contractions for 2 days. A late night trip to the hospital revealed that the contractions were strong enough to keep me awake all night, but not really moving me closer to giving birth. That morning I had a doctor appointment and stopped and bought a glazed doughnut and milk on the way. This could explain why she has such a doughnut obsession to this day. The doctor examined me and sent me to the hospital where my minor contractions turned into major contractions. She was born at 4:58 that afternoon. Having not slept in two nights, I was exhausted. The cord was wrapped around her neck, so they whisked her off to the nursery to observe her and sent me to the maternity ward. They brought her to me for nursing several times, and the maniac nurse forcefully tried to assist me. All we got out of that was a crying baby and an even more exhausted mommy. Finally I was able to get a few hours of sleep, and when the nurse brought Alyssa to me at midnight, she finally left us alone. Instead of trying to nurse her, I just looked into her eyes. She gazed up at me, and I fell in love. I spoke softly to her, telling her how much I loved her, and when we were both feeling calm and peaceful I fed her. I feel that same peace and love just remembering that time.
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| It's Alyssa at age 1! |
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| Look, Alyssa! The pictures are extra large! |
I won't bore you with all the stories of Alyssa's youth. At least not today. I just wanted to share with you what a precious daughter I have. I think of so many moments from her childhood that make me smile. I am so proud of the woman she has become. You should be sure to check our her blog over at Near Normalcy. And, of course, I'll be posting more about her at another time, because in addition to all those wonderful things that are true about her, she is SO much fun to annoy! Be sure and check out this post for more about that. Finally, the best thing about Alyssa is that after all the times I've annoyed her, she still loves me and actually likes to be around me. I think that's cool. And it gives me a reason to breathe.
