Today, is a very special day – it is my favorite middle daughter’s 24th Birthday.
Thinking back to that joyous day now twenty-four years past, brings to mind a tweet I recently posted, and likely prompted by realization this day dawned:-
Regardless of our circumstances, our character is our own.#thought
— C.G.Ayling (@CGAyling) June 6, 2013
Regardless of our circumstances, our character is our own. #thought
Until Dannielle’s birth, we had assumed that the parents influenced the character of their children. Dannielle gave us clues to her character even before her birth, and those clues pointed toward something entirely different to her decisive elder sister.
Born screaming, her sister Tamryn never stopped to draw breath for the first six weeks of her existence. Once during that dismal time, overcome with exhaustion from the two hours on, two hours off schedule tending our firstborn, I turned to my wife and said, “I can’t believe anyone in their right mind would ever consider having another child.” Our experience with Tamryn led us to believe her behavior was the norm. Oh, how soon we forget…
Three years later, contraception failed us again, and my wife conceived our second – Dannielle. With Dannielle, everything was different. In-utero, Tamryn had been a kicker whose extended legs would often distend my wife’s tummy into exotic, distorted shapes. In contrast, Dannielle proved calm to the point that we worried, unable to find solace in our pediatrician’s promises the pregnancy progressed perfectly to plan.
At the eleventh hour, Dannielle changed her mind and rotated one hundred and eighty degrees from vertex into a breech. No amount of cajoling could convince her to return her head to downward. {Two of her character traits, perfectly illustrated before her birth – indecision, neatly combined with obstinacy.} Dannielle’s birth was by emergency Cesarean Section, she exited the womb wide-eyed, and silent. Indeed, when hanging Dannielle upside down by her feet simply granted her a new and even more fascinating view of this new world, the doctor had to beat her first cry from her.
For the most part Dannielle retained her calm, serene nature – though she occasionally succumbs to what she terms, “insta-pissed”.
Enough of this rambling! Like each of her siblings, Dannielle brings us immense joy, spiced with dashes heartache and woe. She has grown from a beautiful, serene baby upon whom I doted, to a beautiful, serene twenty-four year old, upon whom I dote.
We’re blessed with four unique children – indeed, they are so different from one another we sometimes find it hard to believe they’re progeny of the same parents. Each owns their character, utterly. Perhaps we’ve managed to modify their behavior somewhat, but their character is entirely theirs – and has been from the moment of their birth, if not their conception.
Happy Birthday, Dannielle – may you have many more, and may you remain your wonderful self, always. No other way would I want you to be.
{For those who would know, Dannielle is not only the cover model of my work, Beltamar’s War, but also takes the role of Daniskira, the Symbologist – whose character is a poor reflection of hers.}