Fiona's party

Joy.  I have about 50 really decent pictures but there is such unabashed joy in this picture that it perhaps best sums up our visit. (also in some of them you can see her real name on the cake so I wouldn't put those up anyhow!)  We had a great visit.  She had two friends who came to the party and who also had lunch with us.  I always worry over if she will like what I choose for her. In some ways her divergent interests and abilities are even more wide than with Chet. For instance she desperately wanted a robot dog.  A stuffed dog that was battery operated.  KC and Lissa got her that and she was absolutely just as thrilled over that as the Usher CD she is holding in this picture.

But my joy is first in her happiness.  My daughter has not had a lot of happiness.  Today she had a day of it. I don't know that she won't decompensate all over the place tomorrow, or even Christmas day,but I have learned to just enjoy the beautiful moments and not worry so much about the inevitable problem ones.  They will come and we will deal.  We were not allowed to take the off campus walk so I suspect stuff has all ready happened but I didn't ask.  Jane is on vacation and she can fill me in if needed when she returns. 

My second joy is in the gifts my daughter gave.  She has not been one to give.  And I have understood. When she was close I would take her shopping for the kids and she would buy but never do anything for K or I.  This has been since she was 10.  She is 19 on Christmas Day.  Today she gave us both mother daughter necklaces.  I am wearing mine as I write this and I can't stop grinning.  It is the best Christmas gift ever.