Talking Point Tuesday

Today is my oldest daughter's 16th birthday. I have no idea how this happened. In a couple of months she'll be driving on her own. In a couple of years she'll be filling out college applications. I am sad that she's growing up so quickly, but thankful that she's growing up so well.

Here is the story of Kylie, reprinted and updated from a few years ago:

I don't remember much of Kylie's birth. Well, let me back up a bit. I remember every excruciating second of the 23 hours of back labor she put me through. You know that period of time in between contractions when you can rest for a minute? For me, there was no "in between" contractions. It was 12 hours of continuous pain, followed by a blissful 7 hours of epidural, followed by 4 excruciating hours of pushing without an epidural, culminating with my begging for someone to kill me as all 9 lbs. 1 oz. of my first daughter finally made it's way into the world. I don't really remember the first few minutes, or even hours, I spent with my baby. I was recovering from what I fondly refer to as "a visit to hell and back." The only words anyone clearly remembers me saying were, "I'm NEVER doing this again." But once I came to my senses and got a look at my daughter's face, I fell hopelessly and forever in love.

You might think that God would make up for my disappointing birth experience by giving me an easy-going baby. Not so much. She wouldn't nurse, she wouldn't sleep, but she did excel at one thing: crying. All day. All night. For no reason. For four straight months. But then God apparently decided I had suffered enough, and blessed me with the sweetest, best-natured, easiest toddler and child.

The terrible twos? Non-existent. The terrible threes? Not that either. And so forth and so on until teenage hormones kicked in, which apparently spare no one. I guess you could say she excelled at being 13.

Kylie is the definition of the Type A child. "Good enough" is not in her vocabulary. She is humble, kind, and adventurous. She isn't perfect, but she's perfectly herself. She's more than I could have ever asked for. She's my firstborn daughter who I love with all my heart.

She's a follower of Christ.

She's a talented artist.

She's an optimist.

She's a thrill-seeker.

She's a precious gift of God.