My Baby Turned 30

I remember when Shelley Louise was not quite two months old and teething (yes, both of my girls had teeth at a very early age). My recently departed mother-in-law noticed how tired I was at a family gathering, walking back and forth with a fussy baby. She whispered in my ear as she took her turn with the pacing and said, "You won't know where the time went and she'll be all grown up!"... trying to encourage me to enjoy the pain with the pleasure. I thought to myself, "Lady, you are crazy!" But she wasn't, of course.

Almost 30 years later, I can't believe my baby has completed three decades and she's already been through that mothering-a-teething-baby stage herself. For those of you out there with little ones, time is a dimension that sneaks up on you before you know it. Hug your children often and relish all the moments of their growing up. It seems like they will be young and with you forever, but mark my words!

So in honour of Shelley's 30th ... a few thoughts and recollections...

Born at 11:40 a.m. on Thursday, May 5, 1977 (a bright sunny day) 11 days overdue (original due date April 24th).
From day one... a leader, not a follower.
A daddy's girl, but I know she loves her mama.
Bossy with a sense of humour.
When she wants it, she wants it NOW!
A singer and a dancer, and good at both.
Good in the water too... finished all the levels of swimming lessons she could two years before she was eligible to move on.
An avid reader.
Her favourite books were the Mr. Men series and the Babysitters Club.
An award-winning public speaker.
Hated frilly clothes (My favourite line from her was in kindergarten - "What am I wearing today, and it better not be pretty!"
Can play the piano and was once a drummer.
A dog person who now owns a cat, still much to her amazement.
Crafty... and I do mean that in the creative sort of way ;-)
Dedicated (too stubborn to give up).
A champion of the underdog.
Loves hard and feels deeply.
Often impetuous.
An extrovert except with her feelings.
Competitive.
Loves hockey (makes a rabid fan... don't sit beside her unless you want a black and blue leg).
Spent hours and hours on the backyard rink.
Hyperactive as a child! (RUN not walk, and would do cart-wheels all the way up the street).
Liked to pick on her little sister (and still does if the time is right.)
She and cousin Julie used to dance naked to the theme from Grease when they were two years old.
Interested in criminal profiling.
Terrified of the movie, Silence of the Lambs.
First movie at the theatre was The Fox and the Hound.
Loved Sharon, Lois and Bram.
Loved Sesame Street (at about 18 months I figured out she was singing the alphabet in French from the program).
The Smurfs and JEM and the Holograms!
Dexterously good at Atari and Nintendo.
GREEN (and if you ask her why, she says she can't remember).
First friends outside family... Stuart MacMillan, Joel Thornton and Carolyn MacMullin.
Choir mate and best friend forever... Sarah G.
Safe Grad co-chair.
Travelled the world.
Sang in London's Westminister Abbey!
Nut allergies, but who doesn't know that!
Used to run up the aisle at church during the service and would sit on the steps leading up to the pulpit.
Looked alot like Madie does at that age.
Named after her Aunt Shelley.
Sometimes got the nickname "Weezie" from family for Shelley "Louise".
Named after her Great Great Aunt Louise (her great grandfather's sister).
I called her "Muffin" when she was a baby, but I stopped because I thought it might "stick", and who wants that as a nickname!
Fun-loving, loyal and smart.
I could go on and on...
But most importantly, makes me proud to be her mom.
Happy Birthday Shelley Louise!
xoxoxo