Danielle

I woke up this morning and thought about everything that's going on today, including the birthday of my middle goddaughter, Danielle. I wasn't thinking about her age so much (give me a break, I had just woken up) but once I thought about it, I realized that she is turning 7 YEARS old today, and this is shocking to me.

She was the first newborn that I ever held. I picked her up and treated her like an egg yolk, and when the nurse came in to swaddle her, I got a bit angry with how roughly she was treating her. She was such a good baby (at least, for me) that her mom was able to bring her in to work until she was 8 months old, when I started babysitting for her.

I loved babysitting her. She wouldn't sleep anywhere but with me the first few days, so I'd lay back in my chair and we'd nap together. The day we got our shiny new recliners, I made the mistake of feeding her peas while sitting in my recliner. She got a big mouthful then blew a raspberry, officially giving the front of my recliner a green polka dot effect.

I love you, Danielle! Happy SEVENTH birthday, big girl!