Starflower is seven

My beautiful daughter turned seven years old today. She came into the world the way she is; headstrong and determined. Labor was only 4 1/2 hours from the first contraction; patience has never been one of her virtues.

In her early months we nicknamed her "Sirena", which rhymes with her real first name. We got a babysitter once for a couple hours out, and the sitter ended up calling her mom to come over out of desperation. Later on I had to scramble to find daycare, only to have the provider call me after 2 hours saying "Come get your children. Your daughter won't stop crying and she is disrupting our routine". I should have told that nanny from hell where to go. My daughter knows a bad situation when she sees one.

Looking back, Starflower's early years were anything but stable. By her second birthday, we had moved into the fourth place she had lived in. We celebrated her third on a beach in northern California. By her fourth, however, we were here to stay. But as a result, she is remarkably accepting, adaptable, and thankful for every little thing. She is a multi-award winning student in school, not to brag or anything but it just goes to show how living on the edge builds character.

Did I mention she can practially belch her ABC's? Her favorite movies are "Raising Arizona" and "The Big Lebowski". Such a little lady I'm raising.

Her present was a horse riding outfit: shirt, jeans, and riding boots, SIZE 6 1/2. That's ladies, not girls! She towers over her best friends. But she's not too big to sit on my lap for a cuddle.

So happy birthday Starflower, my only daughter. I ain't a perfect mom, far from it, and I don't deserve such an angel as you. Keep on being yourself!