Ray

Well, today my oldest child turned 9. Nine years ago at this very moment I was holding my brand new baby, staring down at her beautiful little face, wondering what in the world I was doing thinking I could be a mother. Nine years later I still wonder what I was thinking, but I'm so glad I am a mom and have the opportunity to raise a girl as wonderful as my little Ray. Here are a few of my favorite pictures of her (some from an old digital camera with no zoom lens, so kind of grainy).

As you can see, she went from having little to no hair for many years to having plenty of hair. The last two pictures are from her birthday party last weekend. We rented the pool, since she is part fish, and then came back here for a movie and cake. It was a great party, and I was glad she had fun. There were some in-between years in there that I didn't include, but my trip down memory lane already has me teary, so I figured that was enough. I love Ray because she is not afraid to be herself, in spite of how frustrated I get with her about that sometimes. She will not change her mind just because it's what other kids are doing, or because it's the popular choice. She makes her decisions solely based on what she believes is right, and 99% of the time, what she thinks is right is a better choice anyway. She has limitless amounts of energy and uses that energy in all kinds of positive ways. When she puts her mind to something, she accomplishes it the very best she can, no matter what it is. Last year she had a concept in math that she couldn't understand, but instead of just giving up or getting a mediocre grade, she kept trying and taking retests until she understood the concept and could do the test to her satisfaction (thank heavens for a patient and understanding teacher). She is a great big sister and is always willing to spend time entertaining Tony P. so I can get dinner on, the house cleaned, etc. She is a super swimmer, pianist, singer, writer, and speller, but those accomplishments are not the reason I love her. I love her because she is an extension of her dad and me, mirroring my stubbornness but also mirroring her dad's persistence. She loves to have fun, she has a great sense of humor, and most importantly, she loves her family and is proud of who she is. I have a tendency with Ray to lose sight of all of her wonderful qualities and instead get lost in who I think she should be. I'm glad to be able to think of her, remember all of the things I love about her, and try harder to be thankful for the great kid that she is. When we were expecting her, we started calling her "Ray", as in little Ray of sunshine, and that is exactly what she is.