17...

My sweet Hannah turned 17 today.  I know that 16 is typically a bigger deal, but this one is hitting me harder.  It's got me simultaneously reminiscing over her 17 years and my 17th year (which somehow truly doesn't seem that long ago).  So naturally, I've got some thoughts and feelings.

17 about 17...

1. Hannah, my firstborn, was born on a Friday 17 years ago.  We came home from the hospital on Sunday...my first Mother's Day.
2. 17 days later (I'm making that up, but it was right around then), I called my mom, crying because I couldn't get Hannah to stop crying.  I was convinced I was a terrible mother and was doomed to an eternity of tears from the both of us.  I don't remember exactly what Mom told me, but I distinctly remember hanging up the phone feeling better.  
3. We spent the next 17-ish months going through tons of batteries and having high water bills:  when she wasn't being held, she was in her vibrating bouncy chair in the bathroom with the faucets on full-blast and the exhaust fan on.  Then, she would be content.
4. And after 17 years on this earth, she still can't stand silence and always has to have TV or music on in the background.
5. 17 was a great year for me...I loved it!  I was a senior.  I got my first job.  I had my first boyfriend.  I graduated high school.  I fell in love.
6. Now, sure.  I was 3 months away from turning 18 when I started dating Kevin...and just a couple weeks shy of 18 when I knew I was in love, but the thought of Hannah meeting and falling in love with someone in the next year is more than slightly terrifying.  
7. There's something special about the age of 17.  You're (as Hannah would say) practically an "adult", but you still don't really have any responsibilities.  Hannah has a watch-list on Netlflix that fluctuates between things like Breaking Bad and things like Scooby Doo.
8. Maybe it's because it's that magic age that SO many songs have been written about being 17:
• Here's just a few:  Seventeen - Tim McGraw, Edge of Seventeen - Stevie Nicks, I Saw Her Standing There - The Beatles, Dancing Queen - ABBA, Strawberry Wine - Deana Carter
9. It's Seventeen by Tim McGraw that is always the first one I think of.  Maybe it's because it came out right around the time I was falling in love (at 17) and the entire album it's on has huge sentimental value to Cakes and me.  Or maybe it's that lyric that I put at the top of this post:  when you're 17, you're "on the edge of everything" that adulthood and your future has to offer.
10. Hannah is so much stronger and more confident in herself and who she is (her strong-willed nature comes in handy sometimes) than I was at 17.
11. 17 ways to describe Hannah:  funny, stubborn, kind, pretty, loud, quiet, confident, shy, smart, playful, strong, determined, opinionated, spontaneous, thoughtful, sarcastic, amazing
12. My favorite songs from when I was 17 are still among my favorites.  I wonder if that's true for everyone?  Or was it just because 17 was such a big year for me?
13. I know every teenager feels like they're mature.  But even looking back, I feel like I was a really mature 17 year-old.  Hannah, of course, thinks she's pretty mature.  But I think that's one thing I had more of at 17 than her...maturity.  But maybe that's just what all parents think?
14. Over these last 17 years, Hannah has gone from being one of the roundest babies you've ever seen to one of the most lovely young ladies you've ever seen.
15. Over these last 17 years, Hannah has brought me to tears (big surprise, I know) SO many times:  tears of frustration, tears of joy, tears of laughter, tears of worry, and tears of pride.
16. Over these last 17 years, Hannah has been a wonderful mix of tom-boy and girly-girl:  she loves fishing and four-wheelers, but she also loves skin-care and pedicures.
17. While I hope that Hannah's 17th year won't be quite for her what it was for me, I pray that it is equally as happy, wonderful, and memorable.  Love and prayers for a joyfully blessed year, sweet girl.  Happy Birthday, Hannah!!