Birthday Memories...

Happy Birthday to our Dear Daughter!

For you Ashley!

Today is our daughter Ashley's birthday, and I received an email from her asking where my blog writing is today about her. Dear Darling Birthday Gal; The day is not yet over, there are plenty of hours left to celebrate your 21^st birthday, right. Without further ado then, it's all prepared, so here's to you, my BELLA!

Remember when...Trivia time for 1986

• Major nuclear accident at Soviet Union’s Chernobyl power station upsets the world on April 26^th.
• Fernando Marcos flees the Philippines after leading for over 20 years, his wife Imelda Marcos was known for her shoe scandal.
• Haley’s Comet zoomed around our earth on April 10th.
• Montreal defeats Calgary 4-1 to take the Stanley cup.
• Nintendo games are introduced in the United States (argh! And… Kids have been cross-eyed ever since too!
• Record of the year, “We are the world”
• Academy motion picture winner – “Out of Africa”
• Multi billionaire Opray Winfrey hits television stations with her show.

Ah yes!

The New Year was unfolding in a peculiar manner, firstly with having my hubby in the hospital with bronchial pneumonia, released merely several days before our daughter was born on January 29^th - late! The week after hubby entered the hospital, so too did our son, remaining for one week with severe bronchitis. He required an oxygen tent much of the time. My poor son cried at seven years old when they placed him into a crib, when a bed wasn’t available for him, and then I wondered when I might be delivering this child happily tucked away within me, perhaps all by myself on another floor somewhere.

Another little girl Daddy can spoil!

January 28^th, 1986 – Space Shuttle Challenger Explodes

This is the very day I had a doctor’s appointment at 9:40am to coax out- yet again, another bambino who was laying sunny side up, and loving it more in utero than wishing to enter the big wide world, and those awaiting her birth. Ten days overdue, I sat in our family doctor’s waiting room when the news interrupted regular radio broadcasts with an emergency announcement of this tragedy. OH NO! I certainly did not wish to have my baby born on this day, an event that upset the entire scientific world, and one horrific accident to which Ronald Reagan gave an immediate consolation offering to the families involved. How sad it was, as we were following the teacher shooting up into space to teach elementary children from the galaxies beyond the earth.

Our daughter refused to be born anyway, the doctor's nudge never helped. It was evident however the next day she would be forced out of her cocoon, as our doctor felt it was time to meet her. At long last, a harder induction took place and she was finally ushered into the world at 3:50AM, the same time her older sister had been born, with a very tired but thrilled set of parents whispering sweet nothings in her ear, holding her close and cuddling her tightly. Our fresh from heaven baby daughter had sandy brown colored hair with a strawberry blond tone, something eventually to become her trademark; our red haired firecracker! (inside joke)

Just me and my baby firecracker!

This little gal had arms all around begging me to have a turn to cuddle close with her. Someone was always offering love and sloppy kisses all over her cheeks. Her older sister was pleased to have another girl in the house, along with her two brothers. Hubby and I were youth group leaders at the time, so this new baby went everywhere with her parents and had many other hands waving for a turn too, always someone wanting to hold and coo along with her, this happy baby with a great disposition.

1986 – The year of Vancouver’s World Exposition, otherwise known as EXPO 86 (click on the name and remember it well) It was a great year to remember the birth of a child! And it was this child and her older siblings who accompanied me most often to see, learn and enjoy the huge variety of events at hand, during our many treks to the Expo site.

At a mere nine weeks of age, I stood at the front of the line, near the front doors of the Orpheum Theatre, with many media personnel across on the other side of the walkway gearing up for the event at hand. Remember when Princess Diana and Prince Charles made their Vancouver debut as a married couple, formally opening up Expo 86? They walked directly in front of us, Charles obviously annoyed with the attention given to his wife by both media and crowds gathered around them, instead of the focus clearly wanting to remain on himself. I remember him for being a snotty sort, her for being sweet and fresh, missing her baby, but there I was with mine near her. She glanced my way, noticed my baby in my arms and said "Hello" to me.

I’ll never forget seeing Kiri Te Kanawa waiting inside ready to meet them both. We have a book from Expo 86, with me, hubby, our parish priest, and our dear daughter baby noted within its covers, photographed during this occasion and also appearing on the nightly news.

The photo above shows me in the upper left top corner, wearing the yellow v-neck sweather holding our baby daughter, then seven weeks old, hubby next to me in the blue jacket taking pictures for me.

January 29, 1986 was Wednesday and the old lovely saying stands true;

Wednesday's child is loving and giving.

Happy and content!

This child grew up happy and secure with so many older siblings loving her to bits, and always very happy and content with her own lot in life. Having older brothers and a sister active and busy with mommy's taxi service taking them to and fro, she was forced to become my buddy tag along over all those years. Just as her older sister became a great help for me with the younger ones, so too did this daughter become one for her younger four siblings later on when she became older.

Still the baby here.

Now happily playing the role of the big sister!

Like a blink of an eye, this companion buddy of mine grew up and moved out of our home, and like the others before her, she left a gap with the lack of her presence surrounding us all from day to day. She's all grown up now, certainly a beautiful and lovely young lady, who is currently preparing for her upcoming marriage to "Fiancee Mike" later on this summer. I teased her on the telephone today, she is now officially an adult.

So without further ado, your eastern family sends our love and best wishes to you, this day, your very Happy Birthday today, our dear daughter! Blow out a candle from us tonight at your birthday dinner and remember your roots even though distance comes between us on occasions such as this one!

Happy Birthday

May the sun always shine on you and may you turn towards the sun to allow it to kiss your face.

Love you lots!