December 1989- “we’re having a baby”
I always refer to my first born as “the best surprise of our lives”. Because of this beautiful surprise, we happily got married a year earlier than planned, and started our crazy life. Because plans are meant to be changed...
We were young, completely clueless, and in this together for the rest of our lives. The one and only day it ever scared me was after our first Lamaze class. We got in the car, I was very quiet and Eric asked what I was thinking about. I answered him with “Holy shit...eventually shes' going to have to come out of me!” I was not the type looking forward to childbirth at 23 years old. Marriage, parenthood, family...I was so ready for all of that, but childbirth...
Fast forward 2 months~August 10th 1990
We walked into the hospital at 9am and 10 1/2 hours later came Danielle Hailey Bresnahan, she was a peanut from day one and 30 years later still a peanut . The tiniest little perfect body with the attitude of wildfire. The spunk of Grandma Sandi, daddies eyes and my hair.
The 3 of us hung out in Milwaukee for 3 short months, loaded all of our belongings into 1/2 a semi truck, packed up the car and to Mississippi we moved. Dani and I flew through pilot training together as Eric studied, learned to fly, and helped me start raising our family.
This was just the beginning of Dani’s travels. We moved when she was 3 months, 18 months, 4 years old, 10 years old and one more time when she was 11 years old. Every time we moved she was a rockstar. She was strong and so confident. She amazed me every first day at a new school. She was fearless.
Fast forward again~30 years
This best surprise of our lives , which Jake and Sadie refer to as “my favorite” has lived up to every childhood dream she had, except being an astronaut.
She met the love of her life in college, Graduated, packed up a month after getting married, moved half way across the world to Bahrain to teach for a year, traveled to places I’ve only dreamed of, moved home, bought their first house, started earning her masters degree while pregnant and teaching, finished her degree with a newborn, started a photography business, made a job change, added another beautiful baby to their family, always made time and continues to make time to make sure everyone else is happy and taken care of...family, friends and co-workers.
She knows what’s important in life...Family.Friends.Traditions.Love
Dani, your passion for life is something that everyone should take a lesson from.
I know that right now my kids are reading this thinking, yep, Dani’s the favorite, but they know better.
(And on their 30th birthdays I will go on and on about their successes).
But for today, I celebrate Our first born, Our Best Surprise Ever ❤️
But for today, I celebrate Our first born, Our Best Surprise Ever ❤️
Happy 30th Birthday Dani~I Love You
Disclaimer~I have never NOT written a blog about my other favorite kids
