Sweet 16

Today, at 2:11p.m. my oldest daughter will turn 16. She was delivered by C-section two weeks before my due date of Christmas Day. I was twenty years old when I delivered her. And I thought I knew quite a bit. I was quickly proven wrong.
Makaili was put in an oxygen "tent" made of hard plastic after her birth. This device was circular and had an opening for her neck to go under so that her entire head was under this oxygen producing dome. She swallowed much amniotic fluid in the delivery, so she had to have this oxygen to try and clear out her lungs, avoiding pneumonia. So instead of me getting to recover a bit in my own bed and having the pleasure of holding her while comfortable, I had to get up and into a wheelchair directly after surgery so that I could be wheeled down to the nursery to see her. Painful!! She was beautiful, though, like something right out of a movie. She had a full head of black hair that was shiny enough to show my reflection. She was pink and gorgeous, not a cone head or one bruise from a hard delivery since she was born via C-section. I was devastated that I could not pick her up right away. She had to stay in her tent.
Sixteen years later she is driving a car, having periods, liking boys, and struggling in Algebra II. I can't shield her from the world like I did when she was little. She must learn things on her own now. Sometimes the world can be a cruel place and it is difficult to learn that. I can only teach her to persevere and hit it head-on with gusto. My baby is only two years away from "adulthood". That is scary.
Happy Birthday, Sis. I love you.