4 Years Ago Today........

my beautiful baby girl was born. We didn't find out what we were having ahead of time and I was completely shocked to have a daughter. I carried her the same as I had my older son so I thought I was having a boy. Looking back, the lack of morning sickness should have been my first clue that I was having a girl.

I cried tears of joy when they made the big "IT'S A GIRL!!!" announcement in the delivery room. Part of it was relief that she was OK after my emergency c-section, the rest was sheer joy at having my sweet baby girl. She was a skinny little thing at 6 pounds 2 ounces and 19 & 1/4 inches long. She had a bit of light brown hair and huge bluish-gray eyes. Her cleft palate wasn't completely unexpected but still a bit surprising. I didn't think it was that big a deal at first, since I seem to have done alright with mine. Little did I know the challenges it would present and the turns my life would take as a result.

It's a long story that I won't go into here but as a result of the feeding difficulties and lack of information we faced, I became involved with our local craniofacial team and that's where the part-time job I now work came from. But back to my darling baby girl...

She is a very bright, funny, inquisitive little girl. She has recently discovered knock-knock jokes and while the punchlines don't make much sense to us half the time, they crack her up. She has this little wicked laugh that you can't help but laugh along with. She's a really good big sister to her little brother and looks out for him alot. Only occasionally does she feel the need to whack him to keep him in line. She loves to ride her bike and go to the park to play in the sand. She also loves the computer and we're always amazed at how well she navigates the internet even though she can't read yet. She knows her letters though and is always asking what sound different letters make. At this rate, it doesn't seem like it will be too long before she starts to read. I don't push it but when she shows interest, I teach her about letter sounds and basic phonics. Her older brother was reading basic words by 4 & 1/2, so she probably will too.

She can be a bit stubborn. I have no idea where she gets that . I imagine we'll butt heads alot in the years to come since we are so much alike. Not that I totally believe in all this but we are the same sign (Pisces) and the same chinese year (sheep). I may be in trouble. LOL.

This is a fun age, though. She is still discovering the world around her and figuring out how things work. It's funny to hear some of the things she comes up with sometimes. She'll make her little brother pretend to be a dog and will want me to hook the dog leash to his shirt collar so she can "walk" him. Sometimes, she'll take 2 laundry baskets and pretend they are her "rocketship" to take her to the moon.

She's just growing up too fast. It seems like just yesterday I held her in my arms for the very first time and yet 4 years have gone by already. Where does the time go? And how can I make it stop so I can enjoy my little girl before she grows up any more?

I love you, baby girl!!! Promise me you'll always be my little sweetie pie.