It’s hard to believe that tomorrow my first born will be 16 years old.

Shaun and I planned a trip to San Francisco for her and I a couple weeks ago. It involved one of her favorite things in the world…musicals.
I bought Wicked when it came out and made it through a few chapters before the book was misplaced and forgotten. When planning the weekend I knew she had to go see Wicked.  It was ‘Soooo Kara’.
I was torn between wanting it to be just us and having a party for her and figured that this might be the last birthday she’ll want to spend with just her mommy.

On the way to San Francisco I talked about when I was pregnant with her and the things I ate and did.  She asked me, “Can you believe it was almost 16 years ago?”

No. I can’t believe it. I remember the night before she was born to every detail.  My mom, dad and sister came down and we played Monopoly on our newly bought Sega system.  That morning I was terrified of going to the hospital and be induced (she was a week late). It was raining.   A few hours later, I was a mommy.

Sometimes it seems like it was a lifetime ago…when I think about everywhere we have been.  When she was born we were renting a home and then moved into a small apartment until we bought our house.  We ended up moving back into the same house and when the owner decided not to sell, we started our search for our home.  Each home we visited I tried to see what it was like to raise our new baby in that home.  It took 3 months before we found the home we are still in.  She was two years old and I as much as I hated the look of this house, the kids playing in the court was what sold me.

The friends she made here, she is still friends with.  Katie was her first friend.  Together they would play like they were princesses.  They lived in a fantasy world of their own.  When Kyle moved in, they got their ‘prince’.

Kara has been to three different schools.  Elementary school, middle school and now high school.  Each step along the way she has battled and fought to find her place…each time being true to who she is.

She has been through becoming a big sister, a big sister again, a divorce, a marriage and new step family.  She has been the drama queen at times and the rock other times.

I know we battle all the time and butt heads left and right, but raising Kara has made me the best parent I could be. She is the guiding light of parenthood for me.  If I can live through it with Kara…the rest of the kids might turn out okay.

When Kara asks me, “Why do you love me more?”  I always say, “Because you made me a mommy.”

—Thank you, Kara