Birthday Bliss

On this day, at this very moment, 27 years ago, I was in heavy labor. Scared out of my mind. Not a happy camper At All.

I was about to give birth to my first born child.

IT (we didn't know the sex yet) was not making it easy on me. And IT didn't seem to want to come out. But finally, late into the evening, IT did come out. All 7 pounds, 3 ounces of wiggling dark haired beauty. Nicole Elizabeth came screaming into the world on Groundhog's Day 1983 and my life has never been the same since!

It's been a roller coaster ride and I've had to learn how to be a mom--her mom--as I went along. I'm still learning. And she's quick to let me know when I'm not getting it right. But she also tells me when I am, and for that, I'm grateful.

I've had a unique opportunity to do alot of the things I've done once before all over again. When she had her accident at age 25, she was suddenly transformed from an independent, active young woman to a small and helpless little person in a hosptial bed--not unlike a newborn. We went through all stages of development: sitting up, learning to eat, hand-eye coordination, talking, and (thankfully!) walking. Because she's in the room she grew up in, and she's still the same size she was in the ninth grade, it's easy to forget sometimes that she is a young woman, not a child. For goodness sakes, she was already two years old when I was her age!

But in that time that I've been "raising Nicole" again, I've had lots of time to reflect on her wonderful childhood and all the joy she's brought into our lives. She's been a little actress since she could talk, and she could recite lines of movies as early as age two. "I've seen a house fly (accentuate the FLY). I've seen a dragonFLY. I've seen a horse FLY. Oh I been done seen about everything 'til I've seen an elephant fa-lyyyyyye!" (That's the song the crows sing in "Dumbo," which was her favorite movie for a long long long long long long long time. We watched Dumbo A-LOT!)

One thing I can say about Nicole is that she loves a camera. And cameras love her! Since she was little, she was hamming it up for professional and amateur photographers, and that's made it even more fun to look back and remember all she's done. This was her first "professional" photo shoot in Hattiesburg at age three. It was a for an ad for a children's store.



Not long after that, we moved to Jackson, and Nicole was enrolled in the Ballet Mississippi School at age four. We did a studio photo session with my friend, David Claiborne. He asked her what she'd like to dress up in to have her picture taken, and she chose this pink tutu--which I bought for her at a garage sale for a dime! What a wonderful investment that was! She loved wearing it so much that it was often her attire to the grocery store, the park, McDonald's...

I'm heading to a blogging conference in Nashville this week where I'll learn alot more about how to improve the look of my blog, tricks with photos, etc. What I know now, I've learned on my own, which means practically anyone can do it! I just want mine to be a little more polished and interesting.

I also want to explore the possibilities of blogging for companies, and this conference has a business track that will teach me alot of how that world works. The conference is called "Blissdom," and many of the (mostly) women attending read each other's blogs and they are great online friends. I read a few blogs every week--it's addictive, and if I'm not careful, I can do nothing but read and admire blogs all day. I learn alot from the many insightful women whose blogs I read. It will be fun to connect with them once I'm in Nashville.

One way we'll connect is through a cool new toy sent to each of those registered to attend the conference. It's called a Poken. http://www.poken.com/ A little plastic USB-looking thing, it is a type of 'social business card.' It's an easy way to share your contact details and online social networks in the real world. just hold two poken palms together - high4! - and you're connected.  Of course, I've already lost mine...so I ordered another one. But this time, I ordered a fun Geisha Poken! (By the way, Larry calls it a "social slapper.")

So, Happy Birthday, Nicole! Hope your day was a good one and that life for you has only just begun! Keep those cameras focused, because she's always ready for her closeup. And I'll use the photos in an artful and entertaining way in my blog, as soon as I learn how!

Blessings to all who read this!

Susan

Winter Wonderland?

Oh my! It's cold outside, and the weather reports are frightening! Schools are closing and winter warnings are in effect. So much for living in the Deep South.

Joe called last night and said classes were cancelled at Holmes CC. He said the dorms were clearing out fast, with students heading home before the roadways freeze. He and Emily went to the home of one of Joe's suitemates. His parents have a large home just outside of Goodman, and several kids were going over there. I hope they are prepared to have a houseful of college kids for a few days!

On the homefront, I decided to make a Wal-Mart run late last night. Larry said there were lines at gas stations when he was driving home from work. I expected it to be bedlam at Wal-Mart. I was pretty much right. And the shelves were empty of the necessities I needed. There were NO bananas! For real...when was the last time you went to Wal-Mart and they were out of bananas? Probably NEVER. (Interesting fact: during a particularly boring time, I watched a documentary on Wal-Mart. The number one selling item in all the Wal-Mart stores in all the world is BANANAS!!!)  I was thinking ahead, because if we have an ice storm and our power goes out, we still have a gas stove (a blessing I'm very thankful for!). I can cook all kinds of things in the event of a power outage, beginning with a big pot of chili!

So I went to bed last night, expecting to wake up to a winter wonderland, and instead, woke up to temps in the mid-thirties (it's not freezing yet!) and rain. It's just generally yucky. But when the temps do dip below freezing later tonight, we will have a big mess, because the rain-soaked world here will freeze. I'm cold just thinking about it!

I spent the day with Nicole yesterday because her Personal Care Assistant, Caitlyn, was under the weather. First to physical therapy, then to work out with Eclecius, then to the "big" Methodist Rehab, then a little shopping therapy at Repeat Street. I was exhausted by the time we got home. Nicole's life is always a whirlwind of activity.

Caitlyn's back today, and I'm meeting up with Maggie Clark to go to a media luncheon downtown. Life goes on, despite the impending bad weather. I'll just be happy when we're all snuggled up back at home in front of the fireplace.

I just got some good news that my friend, Nell, may be attending the blogging conference with me next month...Yeah! The more I look at the agenda, the more I know I'm going to learn. And you, my faithful readers, will benefit! If you haven't registered as a "follower," feel free to do so, and any comments you care to make will be appreciated. It's the best way for me to grow and learn.



Think warm thoughts today!

Blessings to all who read this!
Susan