Birthday Girl

Kaylee is 2 today...I can't believe that it has been that long since she was born. I would say that I remember her birthday like yesterday, but there are some blurry parts...so I'll say that I remember it like the day before yesterday...

I want to go backwards in time to that day, March 11, 2007 and recount what happened and then highlight things from the past two years so that years from now I will be able to show her.

It was 3:52 in the morning when I woke up and knew something was different. Adam was at work at the time-scheduled to get off work at 8:00. I didn't want to call him until I knew for sure it was more than a contraction or two. So I laid there for about an hour and timed them...when they were getting a little closer together and not going away I decided to call Adam.

He came home right away and then I called the midwife on duty that day...Ann. She was the one that Adam and I wanted from the first time we had an appointment with her. She told us that we could stay home for a little bit longer if we wanted. So I took a shower, painted my toenails, (well, I think that Adam actually did that) and finished getting the bags ready to go. It was around 11 that we headed to the hospital.

Ann checked me and said that it was the real thing. Family came and waited all.day.long...finally at 7:32 in the evening Kaylee Grace was born. It was an exhausting process, but a joyful one. (Of course, there are many details omitted there...but I don't really need to go into the nitty gritty of l&d)

From the beginning I intended to have Kaylee "room in" with me. But due some minor complications I didn't think that I could handle it, so she went to the nursery. During the night a nurse came and told me that Kaylee was breathing a little too fast, so they called the Dr., per protocol. Long story short, she ended up continuing to breath fast, the Dr got *excited*, put in an IV, gave her antibiotics...then she jaundiced and went under the blue light. I was discharged, but Kaylee had to stay, so they let me stay in an on call room for the duration of K's stay. (note: previously mentioned Dr is no longer our Dr; that is a totally different story in and of itself.)

Finally, after several extra days we went home with our completely healthy little girl. It has been a joy to watch her grow and learn over these past two years.

I could go on and on with highlights from her life, but I will post just a few here...
~ Kaylee started out her life sleeping in a bouncy chair. I felt like an insufficient mom at the time. But she was so colicky that it was the only way to get her to sleep...looking back it really wasn't such a bad thing.

~ She has done almost everything early. During the first week that she was home Adam noticed that she could support her weight on her legs. She never had to have her head really supported, she came out holding it by herself, and she has been head strong ever since.

~ She stood up and walked by 9 or 10 months. (she was standing by 8)

~ She was a little later getting her first tooth...around 8 months.

~ She has fallen in love with "baggie" her most favorite blanket. We tried to not have her get attached to anything, so we would leave it in her room during the day...once she was old enough to, she would go get it herself. We lost on that one...baggie goes everywhere she does. ...sort of like PigPen

~ Kaylee is a very sweet big sister. She can be seen throughout the day bringing Logan toys, and when Logan cries, she says, "It's okay Logan."

~ The other day I caught her counting in Spanish...I didn't teach her this. It was pretty amazing.

~ Although I would love to be able to say that Kaylee is just a mamma's girl, it's not true. Kaylee loves her daddy (of course), her Maga and Baboo, Mimi and Pops, Jason, Meggie and Justin, Michelle...the list goes on into our extended family.

~She has been known to get herself coffee...by herself.


Prayer time with her has become one of my favorite things. She really listens to what we are praying, and at the end almost always has something of her own to add...she prays for different family members and is thankful for different things. At night when Adam is gone she always remembers to pray to keep Daddy safe.

It warms my heart to see her starting to love to pray from such an early age. She can also be seen in church, raising her arms during praise and worship. She just knows to do this...even if no one around has their arms lifted, often times Kaylee does.

I love this little girl. I am excited to continue on this journey of watching her grow and helping her find her wings.

She truly is a special child of God and child of mine.

*picture will be added later...*