Sweet Child O'Mine

~

The Summer of the Pirates has kept me, well, busy.

So unusually busy, in fact, that I have been quite remiss in my postings.

I neglected to mention and publically celebrate Reilly the Red's birthday.

It wasn't a 'big' birthday.  (Translation - there was no P A R - T E E)

But every birthday deserves mentioning and celebrating, no matter who you are, what age you are, where you are, how you are....

Reilly the Red woke up at 147am on the day she turned N I N E (9!!!!), and woke me up to tell me she 'just couldn't stand it (the excitement) any longer'.  I told her to go back to bed.

At EXACTLY 347am, she woke me up AGAIN to tell me she couldn't stand it any longer.

This time, I actually opened my eyes.  I casually reminded her that she already KNEW what her birthday present was (tickets to the American Idol concert in Orlando, thank you very much), she KNEW we weren't having a big party or anything like that, she KNEW that we would be taking her to dinner and a movie over the weekend.......why was she so excited exactly?

She exclaimed, "I just can't BELIEVE that you didn't even get me one teeny tiny surprise on my BIRTHDAY!"

I sighed.

I directed her to the dining room table.

There was a white box.

A bakery box.

She opened it and said, in classic Captain Jake Sparrow fashion, "WWWWWWW H O AAAAAA...."

Inside the box was something she requested about six months ago, saying, "THIS is what I want for my birthday, NOT a cake."

Children underestimate the power of a mother's mental Rolodex.

She was staring at a glazed donut.

A really big glazed donut.

A really big glazed donut that was in fact so big, that I think it consituted being called a glazed donut CAKE.

It weighed about 3 pounds.

As her bulged out eyes had yet to return to their appropriate sockets, I spoke again.

"Happy Birthday, Reilly.  Please use a fork."

I went back to sleep on the couch.

From what I was told, she waited a few more hours, then went and shared her big fat donut cake with her Daddy and her friends at Fox and Friends.

And she got plenty more attention and shout-outs: a gazillion Old Navy gift cards from friends and relatives (she likes those better than cash, although she got some of that too, always eliciting a smile, just like every gift or phone call or card or casual birthday wish does) , a surprise shopping trip and lunch with Aunt Mermaidelicious, a surprise shopping trip and lunch with Dirty Diana, an unexpected 'let's drop everything that we're doing and sing happy birthday to Reilly the Red' celebration at Vacation Bible School, a surprise visit from some 'old' friends (the good kinda old, not the old kinda old) wearing bathing suits and bearing gifts, and the aforementioned family dinner at the restaurant of her choice, Red Lobster, where she ordered from the adult menu, tasted and rejected her first Shirley Temple, stuffed her piehole with Cheddar Bay Biscuits, shrimp and crab and garlic mashed potatoes, the gratis strawberry cheesecake with candle and a capella serenade and inevitable miserable tummy ache due to the voluntary gluttonous birthday dinner stuffing of one's nine year old shrimp and crab hole.

She's still 'waiting' for the Cars2 viewing.  It's coming.  We like to spread things out and make her 'suffer'.

Instead of writing my annual birthday ode to my beautiful daughter, I've chosen instead to quote the lyrics of my favorite song of all time.  I have my doubts that the songwriters were in fact reminscing about a young daughter.  It matters not.  Whenever I hear this song, I think of me, and I think of her.  And yes, this song remains on my cellphone, the only ringtone I've ever had.  And no, I could not have written a better lyric, but the rock ballad certainly epitomizes the most beautiful, sweetest, blue-eyed daughter of mine.

Sweet Child O' Mine lyrics
Songwriters: Adler, Steven; Hudson, Saul; Mckagan, Michael; Rose, Axl; Stradlin, Izzy;

She's got a smile that it seems to me
Reminds me of childhood memories
Where everything was as fresh as the bright blue sky

Now and then when I see her face
She takes me away to that special place
And if I stare too long, I'd probably break down and cry

Whoa, oh, oh, sweet child o' mine
Whoa, oh, oh, oh, sweet love of mine

She's got eyes of the bluest skies
As if they thought of rain
I'd hate to look into those eyes and see an ounce of pain

Her hair reminds me of a warm, safe place
Where as a child I'd hide
And pray for the thunder and the rain to quietly pass me by

Whoa, oh, oh, sweet child o' mine
Whoa, oh, oh, oh, sweet love of mine

Whoa, oh, oh, oh, sweet child o' mine
Oh, oh, oh, oh, sweet love of mine

Whoa, oh, oh, oh, sweet child o' mine
Ooh, sweet love of mine

Where do we go?
Where do we go now?
Where do we go?

Where do we go?
Where do we go now?
Oh, where do we go now?

Where do we go?
Where do we go now?
(Sweet child)
Ooh, where do we go now?

Where do we go?
Oh, where do we go now?
Oh, where do we go ?

Where do we go now?
Where do we go?
Oh, where do we now?

Now now now now now now now
Sweet child, sweet child o' mine

Happy Birthday, Sweet Child O'Mine..........

Love,
Mama
~