Sweet Baby Girl

One year ago at this time I was in the hospital, staring in awe at my 9 pound baby girl, all wide-eyed and chubby-cheeked. Our fourth baby, Tegan, was so highly anticipated that I did something I never said I'd do: I had an elective induction. Past due, and in non-productive labor for over a week, my body told me it was done. When my OB suggested we go ahead and help nature along, I barely wavered. I was so very excited to meet my baby!!

I will never forget the way I felt when we went into the hospital - promptly at 6:45 AM thank you very much. Excited, nervous, and ready. So completely and totally ready. We hadn't found out the gender, a fact that the nurse found unbelievable, but having found out with all three boys (and knowing that this would be our last) we wanted to be surprised. And what a perfect, beautiful surpise she was!! I will remember that feeling for the rest of my life, that moment when they turned her over, that moment of suspension when we still didn't know if we had another boy or a little girl, a Gavin or a Tegan. Oh how I wished we'd let the boys be a surprise as well!

Everyone always comments on how happy we must be that we "finally had a girl" after three boys. The stone cold truth is that we are happy that we have TEGAN. Boy or girl, it wouldn't have mattered. But now that we know her, and from the moment we met her, we couldn't imagine a more perfect addition. God knew exactly the baby to entrust in our care (just as he did the first three times!) and we couldn't imagine life, or our family, without her.



So to you Tegan, on your first birthday....

I thank God for blessing us with you one year ago

I thank God for your big green eyes, and your huge, happy smile

I thank God for your sweet little voice, your deep belly laughs, and your ever-present sense of adventure

I thank God for your soft, curly hair, and the waterfall of ponytail on top of your head

I thank God for your chubby legs, and your puffy feet, and your squishy cheeks

I thank God for the way you adore your brothers, the way you dote on your daddy, the way you snuggle up to me at the end of the day

I thank God for the way you wave, and say hi, and scrunch up your entire body when you're excited

I thank God that I get to know, one last time, how beautiful and perfect it is to nurse a baby - who's fast becoming a toddler - and know that it is something special that only the two of us share.

We love you princess, more than you'll ever know.