Happy 18th Birthday, Bianca!

Biancalanapatookamunchkidoo is 18 years old today. Her birth name is Bianca Mariah Elizabeth Lawson, but when she was the tiny preemie bunnyheart we first saw, she attracted as many nicknames as leads monitoring her in the incubator where she spent her first days. She rushed to be born a Scorpio, when she was scheduled to be a Capricorn. She wore a Cabbage Patch doll outfit for her family debut at Thanksgiving dinner. She fit in the palm of her daddy's hand. Just weeks before her birth, while her mother was cutting my hair, our sister was encouraging Carol to get daycare now. Carol thought she had time to arrange that. I said if I was available when the baby was born, I'd watch it. And here she was two months early! I grabbed all the baby books I could carry home. This precious little girl never napped in a bed while I was on watch. I wanted to make sure she was breathing. What a joyful experience to see her grow and develop! One day I was washing dishes. Bianca was laying on her back on the floor with her overhead Sesame Street "batting cage" above her. I put a dish in the rack, turned and she was gone! I freaked. Two steps into the room, there was Bianca on her stomach. She looked at me, shocked at what she'd just done and then grinned. Once she remembered how, she flipped until she fell asleep, happily exhausted. She started daycare at 2.5 years old, and knew all her colors, shapes and had a sparkling confident personality. Today, the anniversary of the amazing day Bianca joined us, she's a beautiful, tall, smart, wonderful high school graduate with even more fantastic accomplishments ahead of her. Happy birthday, dearest Bianca. You've been a joy since the moment you came into our world.