Happy 1st Birthday, Laurel!

Wow! What a year! I am going to reminisce a little so you will have to bear with me! It really does seem like yesterday that I finally talked myself into taking a pregnancy test. I was just certain that I had been running too much but that little voice in the back of my head thought just maybe. Well it turned out that there was no maybe and that I was indeed pregnant.

Mary Claire was just 10 months old and I thought...how in the hell am I going to do this again?!?! I can remember calling Wayne frantically only to get his voice mail over and over again. So I called my mother and started the sob story about how I was pregnant and what was I going to do. She composed herself and told me that this was great and that my babies would be so close and how the timing was just absolutely perfect. I felt some better because Mom's have a way of making things alright.

I remember Wayne calling me back after what seemed like an absolute eternity. He was stoked...absolutely thrilled with joy. See he had not been the one that had just been pregnant with our first. Not to mention that I puked morning, noon, & night with Mary Claire for almost 20 weeks and also developed Pre-E and had a baby at 35 weeks that weighed only 4lbs. 15oz. Plus I had finally gotten my figure back and lost the 50+ lbs. I gained!

After two months and what turned out to be an absolute perfect pregnancy I started to get very excited. Yes I was nervous about juggling two under the age of two but now I am so happy that we did it this way! Having two girls is just wonderful. I am not sure what having a brother is like but I know having sisters has made me a better person! Sisters really have a special bond as I am sure most siblings do. It is just fun to think about the giggles, secrets, tea parties, etc.

I carried Laurel 37 weeks to the day which was my goal. I really wanted to be full term and I am glad that I made it and did not go a day longer. She was born approximately an hour and a half after my water broke weighing a whopping 7lbs. 4oz. and 21 inches. A much bigger baby than her not so big sister Mary Claire.

The hospital ride was intense to say the least. We live about an hour from the hospital and I was uncertain that we would make it on time considering the intensity of the contractions. Wayne made it to the hospital a nervous wreck in a record 35 minutes. Laurel was born in less than hour after arriving allowing her mother no pain medication.

I have to say that she has been the most wonderful surprise that I have ever had. She continues to amaze me everyday and she fills our heart with an enormous amount of love. I look forward to all the times ahead with our beautiful girls. God really blessed Wayne and I with a beautiful family.

Laurel had two parties for her first birthday. We celebrated in GA with friends and in Mississippi with family. The first of the two parties (Georgia) turned out to be better because Laurel enjoyed herself and was not sick.

It never fails, I go home and someone always gets sick and we are lucky if we do not all get sick. This time we all got sick. It started with Laurel and I and we gave it to Wayne and Mary Claire. Laurel and Mary Claire got ear infections and we all have an upper respiratory infection to boot. So on her actual birthday she spent most of it asleep with a fever that would not break. So the pictures from the MS birthday of Laurel are few. She really did not eat her cake, open any of her presents, or participate with any of the festivities. She was attached to me the whole time because she is also going through a little separation anxiety on top of being sick.

Here are some pictures from both of her little parties.