Happy Birthday Daughter!

The Daughter has realized that the advantage of having her birthday while in Vietnam is that it starts a full 11 hours before it starts in Toronto and lasts a full 11 hours after it ends in Vietnam! How good is that?!

Although the Daughter's heart is mostly back in Toronto it has still been such a luxury to have us all together for these couple of weeks. We tend to revert to childish ways together a lot of the time and we really do "Hanoi" each other the rest of the time but there are precious and much appreciated moments when it all works as it is supposed to.

I have to say that the Daughter isn't perfect. But this is good because our flaws are what make us interesting. She tends to hold her cards close to her chest, to use a card playing metaphor. And she tends to be a little cynical and tough on people who are not as smart as she. I'm certain she inherited these traits from the Hubby.

She is a most excellent euchre partner. Girls rule!

I do at times mourn the loss of earlier years when the Daughter, and the Adolescent for that matter, loved us parents unconditionally and thought everything we said and did was golden. But when I get nostalgic I force myself to acknowledge that I worked really hard to make sure that the Daughter grew up to have her own mind, a strong will, a large heart capable of great love for people other than her mother, and the confidence to make her own wonderful mark on the world. And the Daughter is such a creation!

When I was pregnant I tried my best to prepare the Hubby that his keenly anticipated first born would likely not look at all like him since Asian genes are strong and dominant. In my mind's eye she would be slim and long with a shock of dark hair and dark eyes. When they laid the Daughter in my arms for the first time I looked down on this round-faced, fair, chubby, blond-haired little bundle and thought "Who are you?"! The answer to that question has been slowly revealing itself over the years and it's a very beautiful thing!

Happy Birthday to my darling Daughter!