Today is my Baby Bird’s birthday, so it seemed fitting that I’d dedicate a post to her.* In January, Bored Panda did a piece for National Bird Day (a real thing) showing pictures of wild mother birds taking care of their babies. The six pictures they posted were absolutely lovely, and inspired me to go looking for others.

*For those of you who don’t know the story, Baby Bird is a lovely student I met one day in the nineties and instantly adopted. She needed a place to stay, and bestie and I couldn’t resist taking her in. BB brought so much love and joy to our house, she earned a permanent place in my heart. She and I have kept in touch, and she’s grown into a lovely young woman (with a Ph.D., no less!). BB and her equally lovely-seeming wife live in Milwaukee. I have called her Baby Bird (and she has called me Mama Bird) as long as we’ve known each other, and I am as proud of her as if I had raised her from a hatchling.

Happy birthday, BB! Love you!