I had heard that my sister had gone in to labour and had spent most of the day wondering if it would be another boy...
I stopped on my way home and called to see if there was any news...
Up until then, the men had a clear run at it...4 pregnancies, 4 boys...would this be any different?
It was...a little girl...and her name was Niamh Helen. How lovely...
Waiting for Niamh to be born was not easy. Her Mum and Dad were no longer together and so the months of her coming in to the world were often sad and stressful. There were many private thoughts that wondered how everything would work out...concerns for the future...uncertainties...anxieties...
At the announcement of her birth these anxieties blew away like the seeds of a dandelion clock...all of them replaced by the trembling bundle of pink and white beautifully named Niamh.
From the very beginning we loved her...she became our family's obsession...what had she done today? Had anyone see her? What was she wearing?
We loved her and each of us longed to have her love us best. Her most devoted servant was her Grandad who hovered and scooped to make sure that no bad thing happened to her...no wind blew on her from the wrong direction...no draught...no drop of rain...
She grew up knowing that she was loved...grew up loving herself...
Now that trembling bundle of of pink and white is growing into a girl who knows her own mind...knows what she wants and how she wants to be...
I marvel at her confidence and assurance. I wish that I had had a teaspoon of her poise when I was 15...
She thinks for herself...is happy to go against the flow in some things...happy to be different in order to keep on being herself...
At least, that's how it seems for now.
Life can change quickly...stuff happens that alters forever your view of the world.
I hope that Niamh can hold on to her strength and individuality and not have it squashed or damaged in order to fit in with the crowd
On her birthday...from several thousand miles away I want to wish our Niamh a very Happy birthday...
I want to tell her that I admire her and am proud of the woman she is becoming...
She'd probably prefer money in a card...
We had no idea who we were welcoming into the world on that wild October day, but I for one am delighted that it was Niamh...
We loved her and each of us longed to have her love us best. Her most devoted servant was her Grandad who hovered and scooped to make sure that no bad thing happened to her...no wind blew on her from the wrong direction...no draught...no drop of rain...
She grew up knowing that she was loved...grew up loving herself...
Now that trembling bundle of of pink and white is growing into a girl who knows her own mind...knows what she wants and how she wants to be...
I marvel at her confidence and assurance. I wish that I had had a teaspoon of her poise when I was 15...
She thinks for herself...is happy to go against the flow in some things...happy to be different in order to keep on being herself...
At least, that's how it seems for now.
Life can change quickly...stuff happens that alters forever your view of the world.
I hope that Niamh can hold on to her strength and individuality and not have it squashed or damaged in order to fit in with the crowd
On her birthday...from several thousand miles away I want to wish our Niamh a very Happy birthday...
I want to tell her that I admire her and am proud of the woman she is becoming...
She'd probably prefer money in a card...
We had no idea who we were welcoming into the world on that wild October day, but I for one am delighted that it was Niamh...
Happy Birthday!
'...Right, like a well-done sum.
A clean slate, with your own face on.'
Sylvia Plath
