Happy 1st Birthday my Sweet Baby Emma Grace

Oh my baby girl I can’t believe that you are already a year old. Where in the world does time goes? You are growing up to be such a beautiful, funny, and adventurous little girl. I can already tell that you are going to be by little tomboy. You love to climb up on everything and prowl through anything that is left in your reach. You are starting to do this hilarious little crab crawl (you use your hands and feet only to crawl with –your knees don’t touch the floor) – I think it is your last step before you start to walk. You are starting to talk up a storm. You will say: Bye Bye, and wave your little hands backwards. You are about the sweetest thing I have ever met (you and your brother that is).

I can remember the day you were born like it was yesterday. All day long today I have recreated those memories in my head. I remember:
1. That the night before you were born your daddy was so very sick, and I knew that I was having contractions all night long. I can remember praying all night that they were only braxton hix because daddy was so sick and I did not think that he was going to be any able to drive us to the hospital. Luckily that morning 7/21 the contractions went away for about 3 hours. (As your daddy was getting up to get ready for work, still sick as a dog, I encouraged him to go back to be and get well because I new that you were going to make your arrival very soon.)

2. That I worked all day the day of 7/21/09

3. I remember having contractions start around 9:00 am and I timed them and wrote them down all day long while at work. They remained around 8-9 minuets apart while I was at work, so I did not worry because I did not think that they were the real things.

4. I had Taco Bell for lunch, with fire sauce (secretly hoping that the heat would put me into labor).

5. I came home after picking Taylor up from School and I fixed us all Stir-fry for dinner.

6. Your daddy gave Taylor a bath that night so I could also take a shower and lay down for a little while.

7. By about 8:00 the contractions were getting stronger and stronger and by then I was beginning to think this might be the real thing. I called Aunt Emily to come over and watch Taylor so daddy and I could go to the hospital.

8. By the time she got to the house and daddy finished getting the car packed my water had broke and you were well on your way into this world.

9. I remember it being a really long drive down to Fayetteville, in labor, to the hospital.

10. By the time we go to the hospital I was dilated to a 5, and they could not get me an epidural fast enough.

11. By the time they did get the epidural I was dilated to a 9, and it did not have time to kick in.

12. Delivery with you was the worst thing that I have every felt, but luckily you were in a hurry to get here and delivered within 5 minutes.

13. I remember your daddy looking at me and saying “it’s a girl” and I looked back at him and said “really?” We did not find out your gender, and I was so very surprised that you were a girl.

14. The doctor put you in my arms, and truly the rest has been a blur since then. Not really but time truly has flown by making the rest of the details difficult to remember.

I love you baby girl – Happy 1st Birthday.

I originally was not going to get a cake for tonight, but everyone at work made me feel guilty for not getting one, so I stopped by and picked this little one up. Emma and Lucy are going to have their first birthday party on Saturday at the Lake with family and friends, so I new there would be lots of cake there. But I am actually glad that I got her one for tonight because she sure did enjoy herself.

Ryan was adamant that she have a candle for her cake, but we could not find one anywhere. The only one we could find was this really old (and not so clean number “4” candle), so we cut off part of it and made due. My children truly do have the best daddy that I could ever ask for. Just when I think he could care less he obsesses over something like this for his little girl.