My Youngest Child

Aislinn is my youngest child and she's the one I consider the most joyful (after she's had her morning cup of coffee). She's an enchanting young woman who charms just about everyone in her path.

She was the only one of my three children who was colicky, and she and her dad bonded when he held her as she cried in anguish until her stomach calmed down and they'd both fall asleep -- him sitting up with her lying in his lap. Lucky for all of us her colic resolved after the first 3 months and from then on she was a happy child, except on road trips to and from Bucyrus, Oh to visit my sister.

"I'm thirsty, I'm thirsty, I'm thirsty," she'd say, her thirst increasing ten-fold with every whine. Or we might hear the alternative song "I'm hungry, I'm hungry, I'm hungry." Either way, she was tireless in her pursuit of water or food. But once her thirst and hunger were satisfied, back came the sunshiny girl we all loved.

Now that she's grown Aislinn keeps most of her complaints to herself, but don't try to talk to her before she's had her morning coffee -- you'll be rewarded with a glower, not a giggle, and you'll be sorry. Give her a chance to consume some caffiene and then the enchantress known as Aislinn will reappear, ready to charm the world.