Maggie (or, as she likes to say, Maggy)

My first-born, my girl, is a legal grownup poobah today. Happy Birthday Maggie!!!! I keep saying it over and over in my head. It doesn't compute. It can't be 21 years since I missed the last episode of Cheers with Sam and Diane due to giving birth.


Maggie is 21 today. Holy cow.

How fast it goes. I know it's said all of the time, but it's really scary how little time we have them. I cannot say it seems like yesterday, but it seems like only a couple of years ago that she really needed me; depended on me for almost everything. And I remember thinking that she would be a kid forever, that her becoming an adult seemed so far in the future.

It's true. Once they start walking...everything after that is just a blur.

Maggie was born with the biggest heart in the world, and she has always been compassionate to a fault. As a baby, she looked like a porcelain doll, with her blue eyes and long curly hair. Her great grandmother used to dress her up in navy blue pants and shirts, ugly clothes, so the spirits wouldn't know she was a girl; they would only steal a boy. I would dress her up in girly-girly dresses in the morning, and when I'd get home from work, I'd be faced with a couture-challenged child.

Maggie's childhood was hard, and as a Mom, I failed her in countless ways. I made many, many mistakes that she had to pay for. She lost much of her childhood due to the poor choices of her parents. I'll spend the rest of my days trying to make up for that.

But we have flourished in the last ten years; Maggie has blossomed into a beautiful young woman. I couldn't be prouder of her. She is truly her mother's daughter, which I hope isn't too much of a curse.

She has direction and purpose in her life. She's got a wonderful boyfriend who treats her well and who she loves. She's got an incredible work ethic. She's gorgeous. She's funny as hell.

We're so proud of her.

She's going to go far in life; she can conquer anything she will set her mind to.

Except tequila.