Happy Birthday and Picture Fest

Again, no poker content here. One of these days, I promise. Right now I am still kind of lost on the fact that my daugther turned 14 today. I was going through some old photos and (by the request of a few people) thought I'd post them up here. (Yes, you are allowed to make fun of my 80's hair.) This is a little trip down memory lane of Jess and I, so if you don't want to view, feel free to move on.

I thought I'd start with me at 16. I can't seem to find any photos of me when I was her age now, so this will have to do. Yes, I had bleach-blonde big hair. Didn't everyone? The picture quality is kinda crappy because this was a looooong time ago before we had high tech gadgets like digital cameras. I specifically remember buying this outfit at Au Coton which was my favorite store at the time. I don't think I have been in that store since. This probably marks the last time I wore pink of any kind.

Ok...moving on, shall we?

The picture to the right is when I was 18/19 and was living in British Columbia. Yes, the hair is still big - it was 1991 and we hadn't quite got out of that whole 80's mode yet.

The next pic was taken on Oct. 18, 1992, the day Jess was born - after 36.5 hours of labor I might add. To top it off I had bronchitis, so I was a bit of a mess. She was a tiny little thing, only 6lbs and under 19" in length. Miraculously, she was the quietest baby I have ever met in my entire life. For the first year all she did was smile and laugh. That only lasted until she hit the terrible twos though and it all went to hell from then on! (Just kidding... kinda.)


The next photo on the right was when she hit her first birthday. I'm also pretty sure that was the last time either of us wore anything floral. She had just learned to walk, and had long since spoken her first word - "shoes". I was kinda hoping it would be "Mom" but no such luck.




The next few pics are of when she was three (on the left) and five (on the right). It is really hard to associate that little person with the teenager she has now become. It's also really hard to remember her with long, blond hair, as you will see in the next few pics.



The nine years in between were a total blur. This is her now in all her jet-black hair glory. It's pretty much guaranteed the next four years are going to be the most interesting of the bunch, and also possibly the most challenging and frustrating, but honestly I wouldn't change a thing about her if I could. Though a part of me sits here and mourns the childhood that has past, I can't help but look forward to discovering the person she will eventually become.

Happy birthday, Jess!