Miranda, five days old
MY SECOND BORN turned 24 today.
Miranda lives 5 ½ hours away in eastern Wisconsin so I had to settle for texting a birthday wish to her this morning. Finally, around 4:30 p.m., she got back to me after a long work day that began at 4:30 a.m. She had to be at an area hospital by 6 a.m. to interpret for a Spanish-speaking patient undergoing surgery.
She didn’t have much time to chat; her friend Greg was arriving soon and they were going out for a birthday dinner. Miranda hadn’t eaten all day and she was hungry.
Afterward she was having friends over to celebrate. One of them, Gerardo, planned to bring the cake.
I don’t know if they ate any of the cake. But my husband, who just talked to our daughter, told me the cake was smashed in her face. Knowing several of the invited guests, I expect it was Julio’s idea. Miranda said she saw it coming.
Now I don’t think I’d much like a cake or pie or anything smashed in my face. But I’m not 24 either.
I had to think for a minute today about exactly how old my daughter was.
“Mom, you don’t know how old I am?” she asked, a strong tone of disbelief tingeing her question.
I had to do the math quick-like in my head. I didn’t tell her, but thought, “I can’t even remember how old I am sometimes.”
And sometimes I find it hard to believe that my two daughters are in their 20s, my son turning 18 in a few months. Where did the years go? Honestly.
No one smashed cake into Miranda's face when she was almost two; she managed this all on her own.
Miranda with her Little Mermaid birthday cake on her fifth birthday in 1992. That's a troll she's clutching and a homemade birthday hat with her nickname, Tib (after Tib in the Betsy-Tacy books by Maud Hart Lovelace). Everyone loved Miranda's curly hair.
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
With my three grown and on their own, I also have trouble remembering how old they are. Just the fact that they are happy and healthy is enough to know.
I also have to calculate how old I am. Candles on the cake don’t mean too much anymore.
Happy and healthy. Exactly.
Thanks for the birthday post, Mom! I think I had more cake on my face yesterday than what was in the photo, haha.
I guess I’d need to see photos to believe that.
So even though I am young, I am feeling old too. Emily turned 14 and this summer will be doing drivers training! Morgan, Mike’s little girl, started Kindergarten this fall and just turned 6 a week ago! I don’t know where the time goes!
How can Emily already be 14? That makes me feel really old given she was a preschooler when she came to my house occasionally for daycare. And, Sara, I remember when you, too, were a preschooler and at your dad’s birthday party you called Randy my dad. Hilarious. I bet Randy felt REALLY old!