21 years ago today

21 years ago today, Todd and I were both 21 years old having our first baby. And now we are celebrating our daughter's 21st birthday.

Here are some sweet photos from the night Ms. Ryann was born. I remember being scared out of my mind about what the future would hold, but never being afraid of my ability to be a good Mama. Ryann was born at 7:05 pm on a Thursday night. And I know the moment I fell in love with this child. It was 2AM and I woke with a start. I was panicked because I didn't know where my baby was. (In the day, babies didn't room with their Mamas) I began walking the halls of Madison Meriter Hospital looking for her. After what seemed like hours (but was probably 20 minutes) a nurse found me leaning against a wall crying for my baby and led me straight to the nursery. When I laid eyes on that baby, I took that her back to my room, wrapped her in my arms and never let her out of my sight again. I didn't know you could love someone so quickly and so intensely. Wow!

The Universe felt it also - that weekend was the warmest of record (72 degrees) and Todd would ride his motorcyle to the hospital to see us.

So that's the birth story of Ryann. Today Ms. Ryann is a junior at the U of M and is embarking on her own future. Happy Birthday Sweetheart. You are amazing! And we love ya to the Moon!

Mom