A Little Girl, All Grown Up

This little girl celebrated a birthday yesterday.

It's amazing to me how quickly the last nine years have gone.  I don't believe I've ever told the story of her birth on this blog.

I had two little guys at home when I was ready to have baby #3.  They were ages 3 and 5.  I love this picture I have of the boys standing next to me with their hands on my belly.  Their heads were at the perfect height to rest on their unborn sibling.

After I had Son #2, I never thought I'd have a girl.  I saw myself as a Boy Mom only.  We had a house full of matchbox cars and dump trucks.  I was OK with that.  We didn't find out what we were having during our pregnancies, but I was positive #3 was going to be a boy too.  I knew I'd be done having kids after that third boy.  His name was going to be Harrison with a middle name after my brother.

In my first pregnancy, I was nauseated but never threw up.  With son #2, I threw up once.  The third time, I threw up for 3 months solid.  That should have been my first clue what was coming.

We went in for our scheduled C-Section (the only one of my kids who came as scheduled) on May 16, bright and early.  When we arrived, no one could check us in.  They were having a code in the nursery and we were told to just hang tight.  We sat in a room for the longest time, thankful that it wasn't us who was experiencing a baby in trauma.  I calmly crocheted around a baby blanket while I waited.

Eventually, we were told that they had a second emergency and would have to rush another woman into OR ahead of me.  Again, I was just relieved it wasn't me.  My doctor had arrived by this time, so he, the anesthesiologist, Hubby, and I sat in a room and talked.  I got to know them quite well.  Finally, they decided the other woman could wait and they started moving very quickly to get me through my C-Section.  No one was available to start my IV, so the anesthesiologist did it.  She said she hadn't done one in a long time and asked me to be patient with her.  She had to run it wide open to get a bag of fluids in me before the surgery.  I remember sitting there freezing and shivering.  They had to bring me heated blankets.

The C-Section went very well.  I continued to chat with the anesthesiologist above my head while Hubby practically hung over the sheet, not wanting to miss a thing.  When I said I was nauseated, I was given something that made me instantly feel better.

Finally, the doctor announced he saw a head full of black hair.  They saw a face, which they exclaimed to be very beautiful.  Then she popped out.  Hubby announced, "It's a girl!!!"  Saying I was flabbergasted would be an understatement.  There were no words to describe what I was feeling.  "Don't do that to me...that's not funny!" I said.  "Is it really a girl?"  He laughed and confirmed that it was.  I thought he was joking with me.  I then asked the doctor if it was really a girl.  He teased me and confirmed her gender.  I still was not convinced.  I tilted my head up to my new buddy, the anesthesiologist, and asked her if it was really a girl.  She agreed with the others.  We were friends now, so I knew she would lie to me.  I was overwhelmed with emotion.

My brother filmed the moment Hubby told everyone we had a girl.  I still cry every time I see it.  I'm so glad I was able to find it for this post.  My favorite part is when my grandma (in light green), probably my favorite person ever in the world, started jumping up and down.  She wanted a girl so badly!  She passed away a year ago and I'm still so thankful I named this little girl after her.  I miss her.  Watch this video...you'll see how amazing my family is!

Happy Birthday, Big Sis!