I was born 28 years ago today at 6:30 in the evening. My dad named me Alyx after the second prettiest girl he ever met. Mom remains the most beautiful, always and forever. They swapped in a “y” for the traditional “e” and gave me a propitious number of “a”‘s in my full name. I sure am thankful to have fortune on my side in the form of two incredible parents.
When I came out of the womb, the first thing my mom noticed was the vein that runs right down the middle of my forehead. The vein still pops out when I get angry or hang upside down. As a newborn, I also bore an uncanny resemblance to my Uncle Frank. We were both quite bald.
My parents gave me life and so much more than the promise of a full head of hair. I don’t think I will be fully aware of the sacrifices they have made for me and my sisters until I have a family of my own, but I am grateful every day for their love and support. For every success and failure, parents really do make it all better. Thanks, Mom and Dad.
I’d like to share some photos of my very first birthday party from a family album carefully curated by my grandmother. She was a photo blogger of sorts, before blogs existed. Unfortunately, my very important little sister couldn’t make it to the party because she wasn’t born yet. I didn’t want her to feel left out.
