Mimi

On Sunday our baby girl turns 41!

It's hard to believe I've lived this long.

Her name is Jeremy Johanna Bradley. But the first 6 months of her life she was the world's worst baby. Crying to be held, not wanting to be held, fussing and crying over everything. If she had been our first born, we wouldn't have had another.....

Josh, who was 3, would sing to her: "Jeremy, mimi, mimi, mimi...."

So, she became Mimi.

At six months something flipped in her brain and she became the world's best baby--seldom crying, always happy, loving all of us and life itself.

She has been sweet and dear ever since. Like me, near the middle of the 'extrovert/introvert' scale, a little more introverted than me, but not much. My career and calling forces me to be an extrovert, but on my own I am deeply introverted.

Mimi is a joy and a wonder. I love her without reserve. And she has brought Tim and Eleanor into our lives to make us more whole.

Eleanor will be an only child, I assume. Like me. But I find myself drawn to other 'only children'. We share some deep and important things.

But Eleanor will have three older Bradley girls cousins who will guide her through the maze of being a girl growing toward womanhood, just like my cousins did for me growing to be a man.

Whenever I regret not having siblings, I just talk to someone who has them. That cures me of my pain!

Happy, Happy Birthday, wondrous girl/woman who is my daughter.

You have given me more joy that you could ever imagine.

Truly....