Twenty-one years ago today was one of the happiest days of my life. My life would change forever as I entered into the new world of motherhood.

On April 1, 1988 after twenty-eight agonizing hours of labor at 4:28 a.m. Martia Gaye Suzette came bursting on the scene, weighing in at 6lbs. 5oz.  As I held her for the first time I inspected her tiny little body. I breathed a sigh of relief after making sure she was perfect in every way. After gently kissing her on the forehead I handed her over to my husband, her daddy.

Over the years raising Miss Martia has been quite an adventure. As a baby, she had a quiet temperament. Only time she cried was if hungry or needed changing. I suppose this may have been because while pregnant I would read to her from the book of Psalms and Proverbs.

Somewhere around the age of ten months Martia discovered she had a voice that could shatter glass. For hours she would bounce in her walker entertaining herself with her voice. This drove me absolutely crazy! LOL. Little did I know she would grow up to have a five and a half octave rang voice and sing Ava Maria so beautifully at church one Sunday morning she received a standing ovation.

As I spent the day with my daughter at a posh day spa being pampered from head to toe my mind took a wonderful trip down memory lane. Memories like the ones I mentioned above vividly danced in my mind. Her first step, first day at pre-school, first tooth left for the tooth fairy, trip to Disney World, first day of elementary, middle, high school, and then college all came rushing back. Reliving these precious moments had me repeatedly pulling her into my warm embrace and kissing her like she was that little chubby cheek ten month old all over again.

My mommy instincts whispered to me Martia had also taken a walk down memory lane, too. For each time I showered her with motherly affection she not only accepted it, but reciprocated it as well. As I sit here writing this entry for my blog, she’s curled up in a fetal position on my bed, sleeping like a baby. Although all grown up, she'll always be my baby.

Victoria