Seven years ago, at this moment, I was yelling at my husband to get off the phone with my in laws and help me push. He had taken a brief moment to call them to say that their first grandchild was about to be born. As my mother held my hand (no actually I was squeezing hers), the last moment of being a non parent slipped from my head and the the joyous fear of parenthood flashed across my hallucinations (a side effect of the contractions combined with the pain medication and epidural). At 11:01pm, Arianna Elizabeth Manning, our ivory skinned, bleach blonde, blue eyed chubby bundle of joy entered our life. She had the healthiest screech of any child in the nursery. I could hear her cry out all the way from the nursery as the Nursing staff brought her down to my room. From the beginning AriBeth was quite opinionated.
To this day her opinions are her biggest triumph and her biggest struggle. She has the knockout of prize fighter, and the smile of an angel. She can melt your heart with a 3am giggle, and break it with a 5pm tear. All she asks of the world is to be her friend and to listen. In a way, I think that is what we all ask of the world. What she gives to the world is so much more.
So here on her 7th birthday, she gives the gift of laughter, smiles, and unconditional love. We are so proud of her and the way she makes us see the world and life. She has taught us to love deeper, be a little more patient, and listen to a different language.
The future is unknown, and we live by the least dangerous assumption, if we assume we can't it is so much more dangerous, than if we assume we can.
Happy birthday to our precious angel. Go out there and change the world. We love you Arianna!
xoxoxoxo Mom, Dad and Amelia
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