3/29-31/2016 (Day 89, 90 &91) A Happy Birth-aversry!

March 29, 2016

26 years ago this night, I was in labor giving birth to my daughter Cachondra Iris. She arrived at 3:17 a.m. after 24 hours 47 minutes of very hard labor (she was ''sunny side up,'' just like her mama had been and I had terrible back labor...which was, pretty much, THE worst pain I have EVER experienced). Giving birth was rough, but the very first moment I looked into my precious daughter's beautiful eyes every second of pain was worth it a million times over. I still recall the very first moment I saw her precious face and, as the realization of just how much my life had forever changed hit me, I fell so deeply in love that I could barely breath.  Never before had I loved someone that much...never before had I had someone, all my very own, to love and care for so completely. I had always had so much love to give but had never, really, found anyone to give my heart to completely (I had a really bad habit of picking guys who, for one reason or another, were not able to love, and/or be loved, to the capacity with which I needed to love someone). As a single mother, my daughter became the center of my world when she was born, and I truly believe that being a mother saved my life...it kept me from self-destructing, and rescued me from the darkness and depression that so often loomed just at the edge of my days, on more occasions than I could count. She gave my life meaning, and direction and provided me with an anchor that kept me firmly tethered here at times when I might have chosen to leave the planet had she not been there to give me reason to stay.

My beautiful, powerful, amazing, fiery, little Aries child wasn't exactly an easy kid to raise...she was (and still is) quite an incredible force to reckon with. From the time she was little, she was brilliant and filled with all kinds of ideas which she was always very, very enthusiastic about. And, of course, these ideas of hers were seldom simple, and usually involved quite elaborate details for a child her age (whatever age she was at the time). Her planning often showed incredible resourcefulness, was presented in such a convincing manner and with such conviction, that it made it difficult to say no...even when I knew that it might not be the wisest idea/thing/whatever that she had come up with. She was relentlessly persistent and rarely took no for an answer when she was inspired to pursue something (sometimes driving me absolutely nuts with this relentlessness). She was born a natural leader (albeit, in those younger years, might've been lacking in some of the finer social skills necessary for differentiating between leadership and "bossiness"). She challenged and amazed me every single day I spent raising this incredible girl-child...being her mother has taught me more than anything else that I have ever done in my life, and I am thankful, beyond measure, for the blessing of my beautiful daughter.

March 30, 2016.

Happy Birthday CC Iris!

I've been making this same cake, from scratch, for CC's birthday every year since she turned 7. Each year I make notes on the recipe and attempt to perfect it a little more in order to reach the ideal levels of moist and sweetness. I think I came pretty close to perfection this year, but still a little room for improvement on the moistness level. And, while I know I won't win any prizes for decorating, I think this years iris was the best one I've ever made...definitely an
improvement over last years (don't you think?). I know, I know, my lettering isn't so good, but I'm a lefty...lol.

I think we may have a new fan of ''the birthday cake'' and I might have to start making it twice a year from now on...
And then Phoenyx spent the night here at "Miema's" where, needless to say, she was a bit wired and had a hard time going to sleep (but we had fun).









March 31, 2016

And today, I was blessed to spend a wonderful morning with my favorite tiny human. Little did I know, 26 years ago, when I looked into my daughter's eyes, and my heart filled with more Love than I had ever known, that it would be possible for my heart to grow even bigger, and to Love even more, through all that she would teach me. And, that someday, she would give me the most amazing gift anyone has EVER given me; that of my precious granddaughter, Phoenyx, who would, by her mere existence, fill my heart with more love and joy than I ever knew possible, and make me happier than I ever thought I could be.

Thank you Cachondra Iris, for choosing me to be your mother, for blessing me with the gift of you, and for bringing me a beautiful granddaughter to cherish and fill my heart with pure Love and Joy. I love you both with all my heart <3