"May I have some cake… please!"

Prior to her 1^st birthday, Owen Dulcie did not speak a word. She would hum along to her favorite television show, Dora the Explorer (foreshadowing...) and she had this melodic laugh that brought a smile to anyone's face. However, she would not talk. If she wanted something she would point to it and her brother and her sister always knew exactly what she wanted. 

Owee, as her brother and sister referred to her, watched and observed everything but would did not say a thing. On her 1^st birthday, after the candles were blown out by myself on her behalf, a surprise cake fight ensued. spongy cake and multicolored sugary frosting hit walls and stuck to the high ceilings. The adults screamed and flung cake before giving in to fits of giggles. I happened to look over at Owee and saw that she was upset, she wasn't crying nor did she seem scared; this toddler was angry. 

I quickly tried to comfort her. "It's OK baby, no one is hurt!" Owee looked into my eyes and said, “May I have some cake… please!” I knew from that look in her eyes that she meant business!

From that moment onward her big brown eyes, eloquent vocabulary, and words of wisdom, charmed me and subsequently got her anything she desired. 

When she claimed at the age of 10 that she wanted to solo-hike the entire PCT (Pacific Crest Trail), she had that same look in her eyes as she did with the birthday cake on her 1st birthday. I said yes without a second thought because I knew she could.

This blog will be used to document Owee and her mother's hikes and outdoor adventures.