Tuesday, September 12, 2006

Dahlia Ranit at 9: No longer a baby

Nine years ago today, we welcomed our daughter into the world. Every time one of our children celebrates a birthday, I think about how fast time moves, and how I wish it would slow down just a little bit so that we could hold onto their childhood for a bit longer.

This is, of course, impossible. But lamenting the passage of time somehow helps me appreciate what we have while we have it. I know she won't be our little girl forever.

I'm just about at the limit of being able to carry her. As I wrote on her birthday last year, she was a tiny wisp of a thing when she was born. Not anymore: she's grown tall enough that when I carry her sleeping form up the stairs, her legs dangle pretty far down. I don't know how much longer I'll be able to safely carry her. The day I admitted I could no longer carry our eldest was a sad day indeed. So, too, will be the day when it arrives for our daughter as well.

Tonight, she'll blow out her candles, make a bunch of wishes, eat some cake and open her presents. I hope she knows how much she is loved, how awestruck we are at who she is becoming, and how glad we are that she came into our lives.

We often marvel at how we can't imagine what life was like before we had children. True enough, I feel like I've known Dahlia forever. From her bright, happy voice to the bouncy way she carries herself to the way she stops and looks at me in much the same way my wife does, she's a joy of a person to know.

As we celebrate her 9 years on this planet, I hope she continues to have that effect on whoever she meets in the years to come.

Your turn: What would you wish for a 9-year-old girl as she reaches this important milestone and starts to look ahead?

10 comments:

OldLady Of The Hills said...

Oh, A VERY VERY Happy Birthday to your dear 9 years old-today Daughter, Carmi....What I wish for her? A long happy life filled with vreativity, love and everything she deams of having....! And may she continue always to have big dreams!

Thumper said...

I wish for her a hundred giggles a day forever, and the wisdom to know what to use those giggles for.

Shan said...

I wish she accepts the truth that all boys are evil, then at age 22 makes an exception for one nice guy whom she marries.

srp said...

A very HAPPY BIRTHDAY to a beautiful little girl. I would wish joy in all she does, contentment in whatever she chooses and love.

For you and her mom, I would wish for strength....thirteen is right around the corner.

jsdaughter said...

What a beautiful daughter you have.. I would wish for her to always be young at heart and enjoy each day..

Beverly said...

I would wish for your daughter a love of life. I would wish her not to be a Pollyanna, but to be able to find good in all that might happen.

I would wish for her and for us all a world at peace.

barbie2be said...

look at that gorgeous face! carmi, you have such a beautiful family! and your love for one another just shows on all your faces.

Anonymous said...

Beautiful Girl Carmi! She just looks like a lovely person.
I wish for her to appreciate beauty and truth, as well as the versatility to laugh, learn and appreciate the twists and turns along the way.

Sandy said...

Through you I get to see my future. Our daughters share a birthday -- only my just turned two. :)

Jennifer said...

happy belated birthday to the big 9 year old!!!!! how exciting! i wish her true happiness in her childhood and that she is able to enjoy life as she ages each year. i also wish and hope that the craziness in the world slows down or goes away completely!

if i was 9 again, i would run and play and laugh and just have fun with not 1 worry about life ahead of me!

happy belated!