Five years ago tonight, I was in the hospital, just meeting my daughter for the first time. I was in some serious agony, and finally, after 14.5 hours of pitocin induced labor, I delivered her at 1:29 a.m. on 3/28. She weighed 8 lbs. 0 oz. and was 21 inches long. I was induced because she was late and apparently did not understand that her lease was up. Today she is 45 inches tall and weighs 42 lbs. She still doesn't understand the concept of being on time (her nickname is 'Pokey-hontas'), although that may be genetic. One thing is for sure; time has gone entirely too fast.
Big I-not even a day old
I remember crying when Big I turned a month old because I thought it was going so fast. If only I had known that every month there after would fly even faster. By the time she turned one, she had been walking for two months, knew tons of words, and was also fluent in baby signs.
Big I-First birthday party
At age 1 we had a lot of fun. Big I showed us early that she was going to be strong-willed and hit her terrible two's a bit early. They were mostly out of her system by the time she hit two. When Big I hit 2, she did many funny things, but a few in particular stand out.
- Coloring our lavender sofa with a navy blue crayon (Thank goodness for IKEA slip covers because she was quite thorough.)
- Ruined my favorite lipstick by smearing it all over her mouth area Ronald McDonald style
- Found a black magic marker and colored herself graffiti style
Big I-age 2
Age 2 marked our first trip to Disney World where Big I's love for anything princess was revealed. This was the age of non-stop talking, and the beginning of whining. This was also the age when Big I and our one cat became great friends.
Big I- Age 3
At age 3, Big I decided to show us her sense of humor. She enjoyed cracking us up on a daily basis with funny questions and even funnier faces. This was also the year of true bravery, as in, the child rode the Tower of Terror at Disney World four, count them, four times. She also decided this was the year to become a little mermaid and started swimming up a storm one day. She also started taking karate and ballet. What a combination!
Big I-4th birthday
This was quite a year for Big I, as she became a Big Sister. Big I went to all my appointments with me and endured multiple non-stress tests a week along with me. She became my appointment buddy and never ceased to amaze and amuse me with her drawings to entertain me and her "American Idol" like performances to make me laugh. She truly became a big girl this year and has endured having a sister around 100 times better than I ever thought she would.
Big I-5th birthday party
Every year on her birthday eve, I have told her the story, hour by hour of how she came into this world. Every year she has been excited to hear that story, and has asked me to tell her again and again. This year, she just wasn't having it. . . yet another sign that this time has gone entirely too fast.
She is already starting to show signs that Mommy and Daddy aren't always "cool" anymore. I mean, she's not yet ready to have us drop her off at the mall unattended or anything, because yeah, like that will ever happen. But tonight, when she was being grumpy at the dinner table, I thought I could cheer her up by delivering a comical rendition of Nelly's new song, "Smile for me baby. . . I wanna see your grill. . . you wanna see my what?. . . your grill, ya, ya, your grill." (For those people who think Nelly is the name of your local dairy farm's prized cow, "grill" means smile or teeth, at least I think it does.) Anyway, it actually elicited an eye roll. An eye roll. The child is just turning five; and I can sing Nelly. I thought I had a least a few more years before the eye rolling started!
In the fall she will start kindergarten; and I seriously may need to go visit my doctor beforehand for some anti-anxiety help for that day. I have always stayed home with her; we have been together almost every day of her life; and I can not imagine how bad it's going to hurt when she goes to school.
Last week I was helping her ride her bike outside. I told her that she was growing up too fast. I told her to slow down. She said to me, "Don't worry, you will always be my mommy." This weekend, at her birthday party, I told her to slow down again and she said, "Mommy, I can't help it. It's not me growing up; it's my body." She is so right.
Happy Birthday Big I! No matter how big you get, you will ALWAYS be my baby. (I will probaby always sing you silly rap songs too.)
