8 years

Eight years ago I was 15 hours into a labour that was to bring my little girl into my arms for the first time. The labour was not my most pleasant experience - a body that did not want to dilate, an epidural that took only on one side of the body, a nurse who had to get a larger needle to do the spinal tap required to perform the c-section. But 22 hours after the induction started that was all forgotten as I got my first glimpse of the little person who very quickly became the love of my life.

I had no idea I could love another human being the way that I grew to love Ms nearly 8. She has made it very easy. She is a kind hearted, smart, funny little girl who knows what she wants and is prepared to work for it. She has an uncanny knack for logic - she can, with only a few facts, pull together a scenario better than most detectives portrayed in popular television. She loves to learn. During the year she would create research projects to do and then bring them into school.

But what I love most about her is her genuine appreciation for the things that life brings her. Today she got such joy out of two balloons. She spent a good half hour clowning around with these balloons - she cracked herself up. That good old belly laugh sense of 'funny' that seems to come so easily to the young, and young at heart. She has not yet lost her ability to say 'thank you' for when we do something special. She 'knows' what she experiences is not to be taken for granted. It makes us want to give her more. She makes it pleasurable for us.

I am very proud of my little girl, and I am forever grateful that I was given the opportunity to be her Mom.