The baby is { 2 5 } today! Twenty. Five.

Forever my baby. Born on “tax day” (finally, the day was redeemed) and during a freak ice storm in Sioux City, Iowa. She was a big baby, even though we were total vegan at the time. And she was born to applause because the doctor, at the teaching hospital there, was so impressed with how well Dave and I were handling the labor process (I’d been through it…a few times, very recently, actually). He asked more than once if they could bring the students and interns in to observe us. I said no several times, but when it got to the “really fun” part, my defenses were low and when I said yes, the room filled with 20+ observers who cheered us on and affirmed our expertise in baby making and birthing.
But even though she arrived center stage, the star of the show, and though she holds the position as baby-of-the-family, Stormie has never been the “typical” version of that. She was never an “absent-minded, friendly manipulator with a craving for the spotlight and everyone’s rapt attention,” those things commonly used to describe her birth order ranking.
Stormie Dae, born with a headful of dark hair, just entered the family quietly and sweetly, enthralled by all the activity in a home with 4 older siblings, 1 1/2, almost 3, almost 4 and almost 7 years of age (that’s right: 5 kids in less than 7 years). She brought joy and a certain sweetness. She got her daddy’s personlity: easy-going, peaceful, servant-hearted and deeply loving. She got his dimples, too. And she won my heart.

Today, Stormie Dae, I thought I’d give you words
Because words and song are how I show my love. So when I started listing my words, I couldn’t get Michael Buble’s song “Everything” out of my head, so it was hard not to turn this into a song-lyric-poen thing, but maybe that is as it should be. Because, “You Took My Heart by Surprise” and since the day you came I have wanted to be “Close to You.” But maybe none of this means anything since I have also been singing Stephen Bishop’s “Save it for a Rainy Day” for 3 days now, too?
And etc. {a mom is allowed to be corny on her baby’s birthday}
But I mean these words. And I could have gone on. Yes, I could have. But I ran out of space…

You may need to open another screen to see all 50 or 75 of them?
created at www.picnik.com (just plopped lots of words with 3 different fonts onto a photo from Stormie’s (and Steph’s) www.maydae.com blog
Love you, sweet-pea. So proud of you. Happy Birthday.