Brittany Rebecca or Bree for short, arrived with a vengeance on July 24, 1994. So anxious was she to make her appearance that she arrived faster than the doctors expected, giving everyone a scare. She recovered from her traumatic birth quite quickly and has kept us on our toes every day since.
To say that Brittany was our stubborn child would be like saying Krispy Kreme doughnuts taste best when the “hot out of the oven” sign is on. Well, duh. Signs of her stubbornness manifested early. There was her refusal to sleep during the hours of 11PM – 2AM, preferring instead to scream. Or her need to always be right next to someone. If Bree was having tummy time on her blanket, Mommy couldn’t be nearby on the couch. Nope, Mommy had to be on the floor right next to her.
When she was four months old I took a seasonal job that kept me away for three –four hours several evenings a week. Do you think Bree would drink a bottle during that time? Negative. She starved herself until I arrived home to nurse her.
My excitement over having a daughter was so great, by the time she arrived on the planet, Brittany’s wardrobe was already more extensive than my own. Never mind that we rarely left the house, that baby was clothed in frilly dresses with matching bloomers and lacey socks every…single…day. At the time she was too young to share her distress over Mommy’s choice of her wardrobe, but boy that changed dramatically by about age 3.
We began entering her in local beauty pageants. She despised pageant dresses because, “they’re itchy.” She loved the pageants themselves, but the sight of a pageant dress was an automatic tear trigger. Ensuring her comfort and happiness, her daddy lovingly ripped one his undershirts to shreds, sewing swatches of the soft cotton into the dresses, covering the irritating seams. Pure magic.
Her older brother took naps religiously, every afternoon, right after lunch. Do you think Little Miss Sassy Britches could follow in his footsteps? You’re catching on now, huh? Absolutely not. This precious little brown eyed girl who sucked her thumb and carried her favorite Puffalump zebra everywhere would…NOT…nap. Nightly bedtime was not an issue, but naps were not happening.
Brittany had resting b#@*h face mastered before it was even a thing. Strangers at the mall, or grocery store, were always trying to coax a smile out of her, but she wanted no part of that nonsense. No matter what they said or did, she sat statue still, thumb in mouth, dead stare. Not once did she crack a smile.
From her first breath, baby girl had her daddy wrapped around her little finger. Nothing has changed. She’s a grad student at Baylor with a signed job offer from Ernst and Young in Dallas, spent a summer studying abroad in nine countries, has lived in her own apartments in both Dallas and Waco for the past three years, and still loves their Daddy/Daughter doughnut runs, breakfast dates, and trips to Sam’s. It was her daddy who took her to buy her first high school car, and him again when she was ready to trade that car in for her first “big girl” car.
She keeps me young and well dressed introducing me to the likes of American Eagle, Miss Me jeans, Kendra Scott earrings, Vera Bradley purses, Nike running shorts, and since her 21st birthday, flavored vodka and prickly pear margaritas. She encourages me to try things I might not otherwise consider, like colored skinny jeans, high-heeled wedges, and combat style boots. Of course the bad thing about heeding her input, she frequently borrows my clothes!
This girl is always down for an adventure; movies, shopping, trying new restaurants, hiking, running, paddle boarding, Texas Rangers games, ropes course, or whatever strikes our fancy. The baby who constantly wanted someone by her side, at almost 22 is still happy if that someone is me. What more could I ask for in our relationship?
Happy Birthday to our beautiful bouncing baby girl who has blossomed into a compassionate, thoughtful, smart, accomplished and even more beautiful young woman.
Until Next Time,
Becky J Miller
“Warrior Princess”
*Additionally, you can read my “Living Outside The Lines” post on San Marcos Corridor News.