Tell All Tuesdays-Taylor



(If you live in the KC area you must use Landon Vonderschmidt Photography! He's the bomb!!)

Today is my daughter Taylor's 27th birthday. 

She is smack dab in the middle of the five children.

A hard place to be.

Especially when your "older" sister is only 17 months older,

            your "older brother" is not quite three years older,  and    you have two little brothers born wham/bam!

(Taylor, my niece Caroline, and my other daughter Annie.)
When Taylor was born she was three weeks over due.
Really.
Ugh!
My oldest child had been an emergency C-section
and the doctor had advised I should
probably not have any more children.
Really.
Ha!
So I found a different OB doctor.
The new doctor was forward-thinking and even agreed
to a regular birth (or at least try), after a C-section.
Remember this was almost 30 years ago and that was unheard of!
My Hubby and I both had to sign papers that we would
not hold the doctor(s) responsible should anything go wrong
(i.e. my uterus burst).
The doctor's on the other hand said that under no circumstances would I be allowed to have a pronlonged labor or go over due.
Well Annie (born a year after the C-section) was a 20 hour labor. (So I have always wondered what they considered "long"???)
And Taylor (born the year after that) was one day short of being three weeks over due. (Again, what do they consider over due?)
We had several ultra sounds confirming her due date, growth, etc., but the doctor let me go over due.
I am sure it had something to due with it was Christmas time.
When they finally decided to induce me, the doctor had me check into the hospital. My Hubby had just broken his ankle two days before and they put him in a wheelchair because it was a long walk for a (not-so-graceful-crutches-guy).
So there I was waddling (and I mean that truly)....as they were pushing my Hubby. Hmmmmm.
Really.
Picture that.
No don't!
Not only that, the hall we had to waddle and wheelchair down had a door that we went through that said
"For Fertility Lab Patients Only."
I would have turned around and run if I could!!
Taylor Clancy Lucas
finally made her appearance.
And her demeanor has not changed in that 27 years.
Her personality is exactly like it was in utero.
Slow and easy-going.
She gets things done on her own time.

Although she and Annie are just a year and a half apart
in age, they are polar opposites
in look,
actions,
thoughts,
and personalities.
And they have always gotten along wonderfully.
I have heard about the cat-fights that sisters can have,
but we never had to listen or referee any of those.
Really.
All we could ever figure is that it must be they are so opposite that they get along very well.
Taylor is brilliant. She is one of the smartest people I have ever taught....or known.
Taylor is compasionate.  To a fault.
She is always for the under-dog and cannot stand to see
anyone mistreated.
Taylor loves every animal she has ever laid eyes on.
For  years she was going to
"grow up and be the vet for Santa's reindeer".
Taylor is and always has been a very deep thinker.
During the GULF WAR
(so she would have been about 4ish)
we had a friend that was a POW, taken the first night of the war.
Obviously our town was amiss at that. The young man that was the POW was a favorite son of our town and we had yellow ribbons everywhere, town-wide prayers, signs, etc.
We had big-time media in our little town all the time.
I have no doubt Taylor heard me, the Hubs, and
others talk about the rotten (being nice now) Saddam Hussein
and what should be done to him.
One night when we were saying our prayers for bed,
Taylor looked at me and said in her little voice,
"Mom, does God love the other team too or just our team?"
(The team reference was Saddam and the Iraqi people. I am sure she used team because of our love of sports.)
Really.
Huge gulp.
How do you look a little 4 year old in the eyes and explain
that God loves everyone and you are SO SORRY you ever let her hear otherwise?
I have remembered those words forever.
And they made me think.

On a lighter note, during that same war, she called
General Schwartzkoff
"The General Shortstop".
Believe me, she has always absorbed everything around her.

On another light note, at about that same time, we were in
Oklahoma City for the swearing in of the
state legislators. (My Dad is a career politician.!!????!!!)
We were sitting in the family gallery watching my Dad
and others being sworn in.
There was much pomp and circumstance (and hot air!!ha!!)
and regalness to the ceremony and everyone (should have been) duly impressed.
When we hear (that same four-year old) voice say,
very loudly,
"Well where's Joj (George) Bush?"
Everyone in attendance got a big kick out of that!
(I mean what four year old even knows about Generals and Presidents???)
At this same age she could (and did all the time proudly)
spell the word "leprechaun".
My Irish grandfather loved to have her spell it each time she saw him!

Taylor is left-handed and left-brained.
She loves numbers.
She loves logic.
She loves rules.
Everything in Taylor's life is black or white.
There are no gray areas.
She is an award-winning writer
and the World's Greatest Procrastinator!
She remembers facts and details
about everything and likes to use them
when the occasion arises
....or even if there is no occasion for the facts!

When Taylor was a baby, sometimes her name sounded like
"Tator"
when pronounced by her "older" sister and brother.
Thus her name became
"Tator Tot"
then that became
"Totsy".
She still answers to all of them....! On occasion!
Taylor Clancy Lucas
is beautiful
inside
and out.
I am blessed to be her mother.

I decided this year to have a "Tell All Tuesday" and tell something about my life, something dorky I did, or some story each Tuesday. Feel free to share your thoughts with me as well!

And the treats in the pictures......Well one is never too old to have their mother make them treats
to share with friends and co-workers!

Happy Birthday Taylor!