Happy Birthday Elizabeth!

I am starting this blog at 10:03pm, which is exactly when my baby girl was born, seven years ago. Two weeks late, I was induced early in the morning, and then labored hard and horribly for 18 hours, before my doctor decided that she just wasn't going to come out the old fashioned way. I went in for a c-section and delivered a gorgeous, alert, 8 pound, 9 ounce little girl.

It wasn't easy at first. I was not prepared for all the overwhelming emotions, and complete helplessness of being a first time mom. Luckily, she was an easy, easy baby. By two months, she was sleeping 10-12 hours at night. Put her down at 8pm, and she would get up around 8am. And she was happy, and silly, and perfect.

She was talking at 12 months, and has not shut up since. She is a drama queen, and she is the most loving child I have ever encountered. I can't tell you how many notes I find from her around the house, telling me what a wonderful mom I am, and how much she loves me. And she tells me that verbally all day long.

She picked out her boyfriend while in the nursery at daycare, and to this day, she insists he will someday be her husband. LMAO! She is stubborn, just like me. And a smartass, just like me.

Indulge me, if you will, with some photos. I get a little teary eyed just looking at these, because it seriously seems like yesterday. I will stick with mostly old ones, since you have seen plenty of current ones. (and the old ones are all scanned, back in the stone age, before I had a digital... LOL! Thus the quality is off a bit.)

This was the first time Marty got to hold her. I love this photo, and it is framed in my living room.

















When she was a month old, we took this photo - Five generations of Firstborn Women.















She didn't like headbands... LOL!!













































(don't be coveting my husbands sexy legs...)






























Cutting down the tree, Christmas 2001

































































Proud sis!!















And finally, one from today. They sang to her at the restaurant, but the ones with the sombrero didn't turn out very well.






























Thanks for letting me wallow in yesterday... *sob, sob* Happy birthday Ellybelly!!

halloween

I had such a hard time with costumes this year. I decided that I was too cheap to pay $25 each for costumes, but on the opposite side, I didn't want them to look stupid. I am also not crafty, which throws another whole wrench in the works.

I started digging through closets trying to find something... anything... and came across their flowergirl / ringbearer outfits from my cousin Nicole's wedding. My first instinct was to make them be a bride and a groom... that idea was quickly vetoed by my friends for being way too "Arkansas".

Finally, I decided to go with the same clothes but mix it up. We made a cape for colby and a veil for Elizabeth. She decided at the last minute that she wanted to be something kind of scary, but not really a vampire. The "Bride-who-was-getting-ready- for-her-wedding -and-got-bit-by-a-vampire-but-has-not-quite-turned-into-a-full- vampire-yet" look was all her creation.

Colby was not really impressed with the whole business. I like to call him "Pouty Vampire". And he kept rubbing the makeup all night, so we ended up with a kid that looked very pale, and who possibly had eaten a bottle of ketchup without using his hands.