Fourteen years ago today...

Fourteen years ago today, I was 35 3/7 weeks pregnant with my first child. My day job's taught me to be specific about those things - every day during pregnancy makes a difference. My husband and I were planning to go away for the weekend, to have one last fling as a couple before becoming parents. We did, traveling to LaConner, WA, which is a little over an hour away from our home in Seattle. It's a beautiful little town in the valley, and our hotel room had a gas fireplace and a jacuzzi tub, my bare-bones necessities when traveling.

As flings went, it wasn't much. I had started a new job at 27 weeks pregnant (because really, is there a better time?) and I was tired. I spent most of the weekend in bed watching the Winter Olympics. Until Sunday morning, when I woke up, spent some time in the jacuzzi tub, and started having contractions. Our daughter was born four days later.

Which means that in four days, she's turning fourteen. I can't begin to describe the complex mix of emotions that dealing with her brings up in me. I love her, sure, but I'm her mother. Even better, I like her. When she's not making me want to tear my hair out. She's tall - like, two inches taller than me, and I'm almost 5'9" - and slender but not so skinny that I worry. She does a bang-on imitation of Mr. K, her eighth grade teacher, that I try to discourage because it's not terribly respectful but damn is it funny.

She's moving out of the soccer & kittens & puppies stage - her current obsession is Benedict Cumberbach and the BBC version of Sherlock Holmes. Last night the husband and I came  home from a meeting and she was sitting at the table, looking a little droopy. It seems she'd watched another movie featuring Mr. Cumberbach, and he'd died at the end AGAIN. Then she says, "Oh my God, he plays the dragon in The Hobbit. He'll die at the end of that one, too!"

Such is love when you're fourteen.

Did I mention she can sing? She's going to be a Mezzo like her Mama for sure.  ;) And she's an awesome artist. She made the piece that starts this post, using Microsoft Paint. She's going to be in high school next year - and if you've been following along with this blog, you know we're waiting (still) to hear if she gets into her school of choice. And after that, college.

Wow.

Just like every day of pregnancy can make a difference, so have her needs changed as she's grown. I feel like I'm stepping aside, letting her take the lead in her own life, and on some level I know that shift is going to continue. And that's okay. She'll have the chops to be the leading lady in her own drama. I just hope she ends up with someone a little less freaky-looking than BCumberbach.

Peace,
Liv