Today is another special day, (and I don't mean because it's Hallowe'en)... my daughter Laura turns 18 today!
It's hard to believe how quickly those 18 years went... Laura was born on Hallowe'en in the morning. I woke up just after 7am and fed my dogs and realized with the sharp pains I was getting that perhaps I should head to the hospital. Since my baby was due the next day, I quickly dressed my two sons and off we went to the hospital.
There was no time to wait in the pre-birthing room, the baby was coming fast, I quickly had to fill out some forms and then went into the delivery room. When the doctor announced a birth time of 7:30, I said it can't be, I left the house at that time! In fact it was, back in 1993, the Sunday morning of the clocks changing for Daylight savings time and I had forgotten that. So Laura was born about an hour after I left the house.
She came home the next day... here's a photo of Laura only one day old with her older brothers Daniel, 6, and Bryan 2 1/2.
I enjoyed so much being at stay-at-home mother and watching my children grow. I miss my little babies more than I can say. And now my baby is 18.
This is her Hallowe'en hippie costume she wore on Friday to the school dance:
When she was young, Laura suffered from something called Selective Mutism, a mostly unknown condition. SM is the result of anxiety and children with it appear very, very shy to the point of not being able to speak at all in public. Laura could only speak to other children and her parents from age 3 until 10. She had some school counselling and help to overcome the mutism.
Many doctors do not have any knowledge of Selective Mutism, so if you know a child that shows the symptoms of appearing shy but completely shutting down in public, please contact me as I run a Selective Mutism Support Group and I can help you get the child on the right track.
Laura appears in school plays and wants to be an actress, she's come a long way and we are very proud of her.
Happy Birthday, Laura!
Love, mum xoxo
