Nine years ago...
Nine years ago today, Billy and I were anticipating the arrival of this little nugget... (not knowing if the baby was a girl or a boy).
I was 61 lbs up and, mercifully, didn't have a doctor who worried about weight gain.It was Christmastime, but it was also "Get every detail done so that we can sustain life in our house for our first child" time, too. Billy and I had expended so much money and energy in the last push to get ready for the big birthday, I'm pretty sure we gave each other a high-five as a Christmas present. The picture above may or may not have been the few nods that we gave our Christmas tree that year.
Still, I waddled into the delivery week with a breech baby, so I ended up with a scheduled C-Section - which meant that I had the unique experience of knowing exactly how and when our little one would arrive. It was so scheduled that I had some built-in time to get my hair cut and a mani-pedi before hitting the delivery room on the morning of December 27. (In retrospect, I question my priority management during pregnancy, but, still, nails were about the only things that weren't retaining water.) The nail salon ran a little long, which seemed to stress out Billy until I reminded him that they wouldn't start without me. Indeed, we made the big event as expected!! When I met our little girl - it was different from what I imagined, but I soon realized that most everything I imagined about parenting was different from reality.
From the beginning, our daughter brought us laughter and joy. Even as a newborn, she made me laugh. Did you know that if your baby is "Frank Breech," then the tush comes out first and the legs are bent up toward the head? They are basically folded in two for the last few weeks in utero...feet by the ears. Apparently, after birth the baby still likes that position, so if you swaddle the kiddo too loosely, out pops the leg.
I don't know why this tickled me so much, but it did. December 27, 2002 was a day of great joy for all of us, and how I love my little girl.
Happy Birthday to my beautiful nine-year old. We can't wait to walk through many, many more years with you.
... and thanks for hanging on few a few extra minutes while I pampered my hair and nails.