Tinkerbell's Birthday

My third child, Katie, turned 9 today. It's a rough milestone for a mom. 9 is halfway done. Halfway to adulthood.

Katie was a bit of a surprise. We had planned to have two children close together, and then perhaps add a third a few years later after we got back on our feet financially. Instead God blessed us with a third child when our oldest was only 3 and the middle child was 18 months old. For a short amount of time, I had three children in diapers.

It was not an easy pregnancy in the beginning. I threw up around the clock for the first 14 weeks. I even woke up during the night throwing up. But after those first few weeks, I felt much better. The delivery went well. She took a little longer to arrive than James and Grace. It was about a 5 hour labor. Katie weighed in at 9 lbs and 5 oz like her big brother. With her black hair, she was a stunning beauty, from the very start.

Things were a bit rough for the first few months. For unknown reasons, Katie was not able to suck hard enough to breastfeed or to even get milk from a bottle. We finger fed her with syringes for awhile until she was strong enough to take a bottle, and by four months she was able to breastfeed. Katie was an easy, sunshiny baby. She was happy and smiled early and often. Katie blessed our family with so much joy.

Over the years, Katie has grown and matured. She is still beautiful...inside and out. Every time I look at her I am reminded that God gave me a wonderful present when he gave me this little girl. Katie lives in a world filled with rainbows and tulips. She skips and cartwheels everywhere she goes. Somehow negativity rarely touches her...she continues through life with her positive attitude.

I love my daughter. I am so thankful that God planned my family for me better than I ever could have. Happy Birthday, Katie!