Happy Birthday, Chante!!!!

Twelve years ago today, I gave birth to my first child. It was a beautiful winter day and snow was falling from the sky. Labor began around 5:45 AM with my water breaking. I felt no contractions whatsoever. Dmitri and I knew we were having a girl and we had already decided that she would be named Chante Aliya. Let me just say that labor is work but the fruit of labor is worth every moment.

Chante's birth was interesting, to say the least. I had a very close group of friends and Chante was really the first birth in our little circle. Dmitri was adamant that no one would be present in the delivery room. Yea, well that went out of the window rather quickly. While I won't bore you all with the details, Chante was born at 5:12 PM weighing over 7.5lbs about 20 inches long. Present at her birth were several of my closest friends who helped get me through the birthing process and who have and will impact both Chante and I for many years to come. Chante came out of the womb and just looked around. No tears, just wide eyed and bushy-tailed with a head full of hair and very fat cheeks. My very wise grandmother said, "She's going to be something, that's just a sign." Yea, well Nanno is hardly ever wrong, so like Mary, mother of Jesus, I pondered that, in my heart.

Chante is something. She is an old soul in many ways. She accepted Jesus Christ as her Personal Savior at the young age of four. She requested to be baptized several months later. She is perceptive. She is unique in her sense of style and personality. She is outspoken and articulate. That runs in her genes. She is very stubborn and always wants things to go her way. Chante is asthmatic but never lets that interfere with her zest for life. Chante has the potential to be a leader. She has the gift of gab and her friends seem to look to her for guidance. Chante is unaware of her magnetism and potential. She is keenly aware that Dmitri and I have very high expectations for her and her brother. My desire is for her to realize the potential and not be afraid to use her influence in a positive way. I keep telling her it will liberate her and her friends from conforming to the status quo.

I could go on and on about my daughter. I love her from the bottom of my heart. She has brought me joy and pain. She makes me smile and laugh. I am amazed at her fierce determination and her conviction about things she is passionate about. Yes, she is a fickle, hormonal tween, but she can also be a loving big sister who is very competitive. She will impact the world, about that, I have no doubt. For now, I am enjoying watching her grow up and become a young woman. I hope that her faith in God, her sheer loquaciousness, and her extreme determination will carry her far and open doors for her. She has big dreams and knowing her like I do, NOTHING will stand in her way. So today, with a grateful heart, I say, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Chante, My sweet child. May God bless you today and always, and May He smile richly upon your future!"

Copyright December 27, 2009 by Pamela Cole Thorpe