Nineteen and Counting

On Sunday, November 18, 1990, Chelsea Elizabeth Patterson Dodd came into the world. I had just completed student teaching at Northside Elementary school that Friday afternoon. I was thrilled to have finished and very exhausted, so my only memory of that weekend was of that Sunday morning. I was standing in our family room talking to Rich and suddenly...my water broke. We got Nicole (then 8 years old) situated with my two cousins and went to the hospital. After eight long hours Chelsea was born...all 9 pounds of her (I say that as if it were no big deal...it was. I had had Nicole by c-section and was not prepared for this much fun).
Chelsea was a beautiful, chubby baby with a fabulous set of lungs...I think she cried for a month while I attempted to deal with Thanksgiving, Christmas, nursing, a third grader, etc! We tried everything in relieving her colic; one evening, exhausted, I put her in the bassinet and she let out a huge sigh and went to sleep...my sweet baby girl just wanted her space (she's like that to this day).

As with Nicole, Chelsea was bald for the first 2 years and then came her beautiful, red, curly hair (it had a life of its own)! Her personality emerged with her hair. Her blue eyes would sparkle and her hair would bounce around and once she started laughing...Chelsea has always been full of energy, never happy sitting still, she would actually watch her favorite Disney movies while doing back walk-overs! She started dance classes when she was four, soccer at five, and t-ball at seven. Soccer quickly became her thing.

In middle school she earned the nickname "Triple C" from her school soccer coach. Calm, cool, collected...she had mastered channeling her energy and all the years of dance classes gave her the very recognizable pointed-toe kick that she used on the field. While soccer was her passion and it seemed we were always at something soccer related, I have memories of her with her friends and family goofing off and laughing, laughing, laughing (at nothing sometimes). Her first eight years of school were spent in a small, very family-oriented private christian school. So many milestones happened during those years, all within the safety and sometimes prying eyes of the teachers and friends that she had known her whole life. I've asked and she quickly answers she wouldn't have had it any other way.

High School was a time of so many changes for her...public school, AP classes, high school soccer, new friends, driver's license, boyfriends, broken hearts, tennis team, trip to Italy, senior year, parties and fun, college applications...so many decisions. At the beginning of her junior year she broke her leg charging the goalie in a soccer game, an event that shook her to her core. Because of the type of break, recovery was long and difficult and though she tried with everything she had, she had to walk away from soccer two weeks after the season started her senior year. My heart broke for her, but...calm, cool, and collected; she shed her tears privately and moved on, determined to have a great senior year. She filled the soccer void with homecoming...football games, parties, tennis, and somewhere in there lots of studying. Graduating with high honors and a prestigious scholarship opportunity at Auburn University, she enjoyed her summer (did I mention that she enjoyed her summer?)!!

Now starting her third month at Auburn she is in the thick of new adventures....life away from home, new friends, no curfews, honors classes, a new church, football games, boys (accept they don't look like boys anymore). My heart swells with pride when I look at the accomplished young woman she has become and I will tell you that my tears are all about the celebration of who she is....but don't you know they are also about the last nineteen years of joy that she has brought to our lives and just a little bit of wondering where did the time go!!!
So I say....Happy Birthday dear sweet Chelsea...let your light shine!
I love you, Mom.

Ten Things You Might Not Know About Chelsea:
1) She has two middle names Elizabeth for my grandmother, Patterson for Rich's mother.
2) Just like her father, she does not judge others.
3) She loves pumpkin pie and Cool Whip (lots of Cool Whip).
4) If she could do anything?....play on a soccer team again.
5) She turns to music when she's upset, ecstatic, and anywhere in between.
6) Like her mother, she loves a new purse.
7) She plays Nancy Drew Mystery games on the computer with Katelyn and Nicole...(my little problem solvers)!
8) While she loves jewelry, she will rarely wear both a necklace and earrings at the same time...too matchy-match.
9) She had 6 wisdom teeth removed!!!!
10) Always on the go she's never been a big reader...never had time...but she's reading New Moon again so I think she's in love with that vampire Edward Cullen!!!!