HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PRINCESS!

I was 18 when I found out I was 3 months pregnant with the Princess.  Things didn't start off too great, but we'll skip all the drama and get right to the day she was born, in May of 2002.  It was hours before dawn when we checked into the hospital, and I was there all day afterwards hooked up to a Morphine pump, so I don't remember what kind of day it was.

What I do remember, besides blurred faces of visitors in and out of the room and begging them to take me off the pump and pull out the evil catheter, was that Anistyn was so tiny, so dark, and already so alert. . .her eyes wandered and focused over and over again, like she was silently taking it all in.

She was the perfect baby, I thought, having had no previous exposure to babies.  She got fat quick, got smart even quicker, and laughed all the stinkin time.

We'll skip over more drama, that of her toddler-grade school years.  I had many proud mama moments, and she made me so happy, but the biggest memories of that time have to deal with her "issues" coming to a head and running rampant.

Tomorrow, she will be 11.  ELEVEN.  She's half grown.  She's an inch shorter than me.  She's wearing bras.  She's shaving her legs (well, no--I'm shaving her legs.  I'm crazy, but not crazy enough to give her a freakin razor) and doing her nails and gettin all girly and crap.  She's made friends and draws a lot and makes her own comic books.  She sings, and plays piano and soccer.  She does daily chores to earn phone minutes every night.  She's so damn grown.  I get so sad thinking about it, and her going to middle school in August. . .crap.  Here, let's just go to pictures.

The purple-haired Princess

First day of preschool
"I'm too cool for this crap"

Attempting a "Care Bear Stare" to get out of trouble

The first time she scared the hell out of me--fell out of her "big girl bed" the very first night she slept in it,
3 stitches.  The scar and consequent bald spot remain.

Santa was not very bright that year

Using my fabric scraps to make her own Barbie clothes.

With the awesome Ms. Rachel

First day of fifth grade--seems like forever ago.

I think she may be a little excited about this.

5th grade graduation and awards ceremony.  She was the only kid in her class to get straight A's all year, and had the most Accelerated Reader points (thanks mainly to the Harry Potter books).

I hate that my computer is jacked up--that's where a crapload of pictures are.  These are just the ones on the Big Munky's laptop.

Oh well.

Happy Birthday, munky-butt, you drive me nuts--but, I guess that's your job.  I love you and am amazed at all you're able to do.