All C wants for her birthday

is her dad.  She mentioned this to me last night as we were driving home from Maryland.  Nicholas and Kelsey spent the evening with the Salty Dog Crew (and their almost 2 year old nephew….Nick was thrilled!) while C and I took in dinner (The Old Stein Inn) and a movie (Vampires Suck, uh, review pending…).

She had requested the dinner and movie almost at the last minute, but I was able to get it together and we had a lovely evening.  We were on the way home after picking up Nick and Kels  and without warning, she mentioned how her one birthday wish was really just to have her father here.  On one hand, I felt deeply frustrated…6,213 miles overnight when he can't leave anyway?  On the other hand…wow…so amazed….proud…thrilled that seeing her father on her birthday means more to her than anything money could buy.  Not that I would expect less…but to hear her say it meant more to me than she will ever know.

She may only be with him courtesy of Skype, but she at least she will see him and talk to him.  Maybe they won't eat the same cake (okay, he will likely not taste any), but they'll still have time together.  It's hard to explain that even 10 years ago, she would be lucky to speak with him by phone on that special day…and 40-50 years ago?  A letter…maybe?

No worries, I'm not going to remind her that technology has given her so many more options or that even seeing Dad by computer is so much more than even I would have had as a child.  Instead we will have Skype time, cake time and present time…and I will just enjoy my (now) pre-teen.  Amazing that this time 12 years ago, at a hospital only 15 minutes away, I was not even in labor…and yet by noon we were holding our sweet baby girl.

Happy 12th Birthday, Little Buddy!