Happy Birthday to my Big Girl

My big baby is three years old today. It's a concept I am finding hard to believe. It doesn't seem like 3 whole years could possibly have passed since a 24-hour labour ended with an emergency c-section and this alert, curious little girl was laid by my side, all wrapped up in a towel.

I remember the moment she was born. She gave one cry that I could hear, and then she just.... looked. As they laid her next to me her eyes were alert and scanning the room, wanting to see everything, wanting to know where she was and what was there. She didn't cry or whimper, she wasn't frightened or daunted by the major task of being born. She just wanted to start the business of exploring the world.

Her birth was a traumatic experience for me, as was the hospital stay for the next 2 days. I should have been in hospital for 4 days after a c-section but I am extremely phobic of anything medical and they finally agreed to let me out after two. I have blocked out a lof of that time, but one thing I do remember is that every nurse and midwife who checked her over commented on how alert and curious she was.

It's a trait she has never lost. Now three years old, she has to examine everything. She has to explore everything. She has to experience everything.

It's a trait I hope she never loses. It's a wonderful way to be.

Happy birthday, Angelica!