A Milestone

Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.
~Mark Twain

This has dual meaning for me today. My oldest daughter, Eliza, is turning 10 years old. I definitely do not feel like I should have a child eclipsing a complete decade on this earth. I remember when I turned ten. I mean, I remember a lot of things. A. Lot. Just ask my family, I have the mind of an elephant (and the body to match! ha)

When I was her age, turning 10 meant reaching a rite of passage for all military brats. Ten years old meant that to gain access anywhere on base, you had to have an I.D. card. How proud I was to have my little own mugshot to flash when we went grocery shopping at the commissary. Or if I spent my hard earned pennies at the BX; though sometimes you had to show it just to get in. Eliza won't be getting a military I.D. sadly enough, but she has had many things I didn't. She had her first passport at the ripe old age of 5. And that's late for my kids, the other three had one before their third birthday!

My Eliza. Do you know how we picked her name? Well, Spencer and I couldn't agree on anything. It was either an old girlfriend or bad association. There was a boy's name we agreed on, but the ultrasound showed a little female in there and we were stuck. Out of the blue one day, Spencer mentioned the name 'Eliza' and I actually started thinking about it. 'Eliza'. I started rolling the name around in my head; calling that name out to the neighborhood, asking her if she wants more peanut butter and jelly. Hmmmm. One evening, we were both watching Little House on the Prairie and this certain episode was about Almonzo's sister, Eliza. We kept hearing it over and over and realized that we loved the sound of it! True, that Eliza was a spinster, but I think our sweetie can overcome that small obstacle.

Also, there was the Battle for a Middle Name. My argument was that since I have one, so will my daughters. Spencer didn't want her to have one because his sister's don't have one and it makes getting getting married less complicated. Just three names. Yes, it's true it may have been easier, but I loved having a middle name. It's your special name that not everyone knows! The kind of thing girls share at sleep overs. And whether they like their middle moniker or not, it's something I found special and wanted my girls to have as well. A friend of ours suggested the tradition of giving the oldest daughter the mother's middle name. Fortunately, my middle name is perfect; for me as well as her. Claire. Our Eliza Claire.