And then there was the moment

that my oldest turned seventeen. 

Do you ever feel like time sifts through your hand quicker than you can fully appreciate the moments? 

I, as of late, have spent a fair amount of time thinking back over this beautiful young woman's handful of years. 

I remember the first moment I found out I was pregnant, the first cries, the first time I felt the weight of her warm, snuggly, slightly squishy form in my arms, swaddled up in the hospital's pink and blue striped blanket.  I remember the first diaper changes and disastrous first bathing attempts.  The long nights and the exhaustion.  I remember the first time she seemed to know if it was me versus someone else holding her.  The first time she smiled and then giggled.  The first hugs and kisses.  She was such a curious baby.  I remember when the doctor tried to tell me it was time to wean her from nursing, so I dutifully sat her in the hi-chair, got a bottle, and filled it with milk.  I gave her the bottle, turned my back for a moment only to whip around in surprise when I heard splashing and giggling.  She, as little as she was, had disassembled the bottle, poured it out all over herself and the hi-chair, and was happily playing in it.  She had zero interest in that bottle.  So we defied the doctor's advice and nursed until she was ready to wean herself.  I remember the time she was in that little walker with wheels and figured out that if she grabbed our dogs' tail or collar they would take off through the house and she would get the ride of a lifetime.  I remember how she was never content to see that something worked, she wanted to figure out why and how it worked.  I remember when she was turning twelve and all that she wanted was a bunny.  She spent a YEAR researching about rabbits, campaigning for one, and daily (sometimes hourly) asking over and over again if we would PLEASE get her a bunny.  This is the same child that learning to read - it was REALLY, really difficult for her.  She has lots of hard things in life actually, things that would overwhelm me.  But she gets up each day and tries again.  If someone tells her she cannot do something, she sets out to prove them wrong.  Because God created her for a purpose and she has been told over and over again since she was born that she is fearfully and wonderfully made.

As the years wash over me, I find myself laughing out loud at some of the memories.  Ones that she would absolutely forbid me to share.  Memories are tucked in my heart, treasures that are bittersweet to pull out and pour over.  I remember so many moments of joy, of sadness, of hard, hard things.  This beautiful gift from God is becoming an incredibly talented, quite lovely (inside and out) young woman.  She loves to write notes to her friends and ask them how she can pray for them, she created this drawing last night that was INCREDIBLE, she writes stories and reads aloud in such a captivating way.  She loves rabbits, horses, wolves, hawks, archery, running, talking, creating amazing scarves and hats with knitting and crocheting...in short, I am SO incredibly proud of my firstborn, beautiful girl. 

Happy Birthday, Darling. 

I cannot wait to see what God has in store for you.