Aren't little girls wonderful? Yes, they are!!
Today is my little girl's birthday. She was born on
Saturday, January 12, 1985 at 1:40 pm.
She weighed 8 lbs. 10 oz. Her skin was dark
her hair was dark, and she had beautiful blue eyes.
Her dad named her Stephanie, but in the delivery room
I talked him into naming her Erica. She is a 5th generation
Gwyn, named after her Maternal Great Grandmother, whose
name was Gwyndolyn. My mother's middle name is Gwynelle,
and my middle name is Gwyn.
Erica's brother Landon was 14-1/2 months older than her,
and when we brought her home from the hospital he couldn't
say her name correctly. His little Texas drawl pronounced Erica
as "Eri-cay" (Airy-Kay). It was so cute I couldn't bring
myself to correct him. Soooo, for several months, that's all I called
her. One day while at the mall, a woman asked me what my
babies name was, and I without a thought, said, "Eri-Cay".
The woman said, "Wow, that's an unusual name!" I decided
to let her know that her name was really Erica, but her Bubba called
her "Eri-Cay"! The woman thought it was precious, too!
When Erica got a little older I began calling her Ric, but I'm
the only one she allows to call her that, and that makes
me feel very special. Her hubby calls her Rica, and I think
she signs most things Rica. He feels more comfortable married
to a Rica, instead of a Ric, and I don't guess I can blame him. : )
Through the years she was called Prissy, Princess, and her dad
called her his "Wheetie" (Sweetie).
She was such a fun little girl. I think her passion was and still is,
what I love about her most.
Erica was too young to be in gymnastics class, but because the instructors
recognized her talent at such an early age, they allowed her to attend
class. She loved it, and continued gymnastics and dance class late into her teens.
She was a precious little gymnist. Here are a few shots of her in her "Gym gear".
She loved having her picture taken all "decked" out!
After moving to Florida when she was just 4 years old, she fell
in love with the beach, the ocean, and EVERYTHING in the ocean.
I remember asking her what she wanted to be when she grew up,
and her answer was, "I want to train sharks!" So began her love of sharks,
which she has to this day. Erica is a certified diver, and has no fear
of ANYTHING in the ocean. One of her dreams is to dive with Great White Sharks!
This picture was taken on our favorite beach, Destin, Florida.
I don't believe that Erica was ever happier than when
she was on the beach, and surrounded by the ocean.
We were lucky enough to be able to go every spring break to our
condo in New Smyrna Beach. She was as happy as a lark the full
seven days we were there. She was in the water most of the time,
and I will never forget all the treasures she use to find.
One of the most interesting things she did one time, was catch
some baby trigger fish with her hands, and we had to keep them
in the condo during the week. As you probably know, trigger fish
are very dangerous. However, these were babies, and she was fascinated
that she was able to hold them without being hurt.
This picture was taken at New Smyrna Beach around 1993.
My little girl is one of the biggest inspirations in my life.
She is spiritual, loving, caring, funny, smart,
GIVING, dedicated, hard working, an excellent cook,
beautiful, artistic, inspiring, a wonderful wife
and everything anyone could ever ask for in a daughter!
So, Happy Birthday, Sweet Erica! Thank you for all
of the joy you have brought and continue to bring to my life.
You are the absolute heartbeat of my very soul!
Love,
Mommers
