Empty Nests

When my first two children were 8 and 5, I was presumably content with having my boy and girl and was excited when my youngest, Erin, started kindergarten. It didn't take long before "empty nest" syndrome set in and I needed another baby in the house. It was a long, difficult journey with miscarriages, a fetal demise, an acute allergic bronchospasm requiring hospitalization, a placental abruption, surgery for a cerclage, and 18 weeks of bed rest before I achieved my goal, and my son, Dylan was born. Never mind that he was born with pneumonia and ended up being transferred to a hospital in San Diego. At that point, I was 37 and it was the end of my childbearing days. But, I went out on a win, so I was happy.

Now, 20 years later, my daughter is heading off to school again, and the house is going to feel terribly empty. Erin will leave tomorrow for the dorm at UNLV, home of the Rebels. For those who know her, there is no more appropriate mascot. I will miss my risk-taking, fun-loving daughter. She has a strong will and a competitive spirit (much like my own?), and I think she's going to do great things. She'll be studying kinesiology/sports medicine. Who wouldn't want to massage athletes? Just kidding! She is going into physical therapy and she'll be good at it, as she has the spirit of an athlete and it will be important to her to get her patients back out on the field. She's threatening to take up skydiving and that has Mom more than a little nervous, but I guess she wouldn't be Erin if she didn't try crazy things. Good luck, my little Rebel. Your brother and I will miss you.