Happy 12th Bday, NED!

My little girl is 12. Today is her English birthday, her hebrew one was the day of her Bat Mitzvah. As I heard her tell a friend on the phone, "My hebrew birthday fell out on my Bat Mitzvah day."

I've got an even better NEDism. Ready for the simpliciy of this one?

We were walking through the Old City tonight. Our annual (it's only our second year, really) walk through the streets to admire the beautiful burning menorahs of Chanukah and find our way down to the Kotel (western wall). Two young girls passed us - post high school age - speaking loud enough for us to overhear their conversation. One said to the other, "I sat for hours thinking about who I am." A typical conversation for this age, not unlike the ones I had 'back then.'
Ari was walking on one side of NED and I was on the other. Ari smirked, "Did you hear that?"
NED answered before I could, "Yeah. 'Hours thinking about who I am.' How retarded. How can she not know who she is?" NED was serious.
I laughed and asked, "Do you know who you are?"
NED answered, "Of course I do. I'm NED. She's stupid."

It's that simple!

Happy Birthday to me, too. 12 years ago I gave birth to a 9 pound, 3 ounce pink cheeked, huge baby girl. 18 months after her sister. She was my comfort. She was a sweet baby. Easy going and mild-tempered...(What happened?!)
NED's birth started me on my graduate school career.
12 years ago...