January 24, 2013

Kate turns 12




My dear baby Kate turns twelve-years-old tomorrow. Twelve fun, crazy, snuggly, dreamy years. Her life is a gift to all who know her. She is funny, smart, beautiful, honest, compassionate, curious, strong . . . oh, how I love this little girl. 

 ~

Remembering the birth of my second (and last) baby:

January 25, 2001


1. It was a Wednesday night, ten days before my due date

2. Gary and I had lunch at our favorite chinese restaurant where I had a bowl of Hot & Sour soup (I could not get enough of that stuff when I was pregnant with her)

3. I'd been feeling uncomfortable all day. Around 11 p.m. I was darn uncomfortable so we took the party over to the hospital

4. I didn't want any pain meds, much to the distress of my labor nurse who seemed very upset at seeing me in pain and kept trying to talk me into drugs (What the heck?! she was a LABOR NURSE for pete's sake. I should've had someone stab her with some sort of valium shot.)

5. I had been "feeling" like maybe I was having a boy but the whole night I kept getting images of two little girls playing on the beach on the Oregon coast

6. and . . . it was a girl! (oh joy — a sister for Emma!)

7. She was born at 6:15 a.m., 6 lbs. 11 oz.

8. We couldn't decide: Katherine or Lucy. She was Lucy for her first hour of life, then she became Katherine . . . baby Kate

9. Settled in our room an hour later Gary pulled back the curtains from the window. It had been snowing like crazy all night. Everything was blanketed in piles of white. It was still coming down hard — millions of huge, swirling, silent flakes, falling from the sky

10. I felt like the world was magical and life was perfect, and I knew Kate and I would always be friends


artwork by sarah jane studio on etsy 

14 comments:

  1. Happy Birthday tomorrow Kate! A wonderful story Jenny, and now I'm craving hot and sour soup. Hold the snowflakes. xo

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  2. And that is a HAPPY birth day story.
    Blessings recalled, and best wishes for
    more blessings to come.
    Happy birthday.

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  3. What beautiful memories you have of this oh! so special day! Happy Birthday to your little girl!

    Katie

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  4. What beautiful memories you have of such a special day. Happy Birthday to your little girl!

    Katie

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  5. Happy birthday to you baby girl!

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  6. Beautiful artwork and I love a good birth story - Happy birthday celebrations to you all xo

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  7. Isn't it weird what we crave when pregnant?

    I had a thing for licquorice with my first, tinned tomatoes and tomato juice with my second and peanuts with my third.

    Happy Birthday dear Kate! I hope you have a wonderful day xx

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  8. What a beautiful tribute to your baby Kate! Really lovely. Happy birthday, Kate!

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  9. Happy Birthday to Kate! I hope she had a wonderful day. Such a loving and honest tribute to your baby girl. She sounds like quite a girl.

    Gillian x

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  10. Happy birthday to your Kate! What a lovely post, I teared up reading it. Thank you for sharing and I hope you and your family have a wonderful day celebrating Kate.

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  11. Happy Birthday to Kate. I love how you say that you knew you would be friends - so sweet.

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  12. Thanks for sharing your good memories of welcoming Kate into the world, Jenny!
    I am smiling at you in appreciation and celebrating with you :)
    xx,
    Gracie

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  13. A kindred spirit. I pushed for all natural too with both of mine. First time lengthy and not easy but we got there. That was in 1968 - hard to believe.

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