Southern Improper: Do You Know How Important Today Is?

I'm feeling nostalgic today. I am going to ramble a bit, so please bear with me. This is a very special day!

One year ago today, I was still in college. It was my last Spring at The University of Georgia and I'd just returned to The Classic City from a short weekend trip home. My sister-in-law was expecting a baby girl in March and I had attended her baby shower. I was sitting on my sofa picking at my fingernails in avoidance of studying for a Women Writers exam when my mom texted me "She's finally here!"

"She" was my cousin Sam's first baby.

If you've read my blog, you have already met Sam. We were born a mere 5 months apart and she is the closest thing I have to a sister. When my mom was pregnant with me, she would lay Sam across her belly and I'd kick at her and they would talk to me. We learned to walk together, played in the mud together, ran away from home together at the ripe young age of 7 and we fought. Lord have mercy how we fought.

I remember one summer day we had really gotten into it about something. Probably one of us had tattled on the other one. Probably it was her telling on me because I was always doing stuff I didn't need to be doing. My mom and grandparents were hanging wallpaper in the living room and I remember my mom getting onto us. Instead of the standard punishment (a spanking and toungue lashing), my mom made us sit on that stupid green leather couch and hold hands. HOLD HANDS! I remember so much anger filling my little body that I wanted to kick and punch everyone in that room. Now that I'm older and have a different perspective, I can't wait to make my kids hold hands on the couch. It's way better than a spanking and I won't feel the least big guilty for it.

Back to Sam, though. When we graduated high school, we both moved off to go to college. On October 29, 2007 she shocked the you know what out of me by getting married. Married! While she was changing her last name, I was shopping for frozen dinners at Publix.

Have you ever seen two people get married who were both rebels in their youth and say, "Boy, those two are going to get it when they have kids"? That's Sam and Freddie.

One year ago today, they had their first baby. Natalee finally made her way into this world and she's had our attention and hearts ever since. She was wide eyed and beautiful when she got here and that hasn't changed a bit!

It is amazing to watch babies grow. You can almost see the changes happening before your eyes but not quite. I have enjoyed watching this little one over the past year. She has such a personality. She can stare you down in one moment and make you laugh until you cry in the next. She is really something, y'all.

Here are a few pics I stole from Sam's albums to show you why we all love her so much!