Eden woke up last week Tuesday with a fever that got worse as the day went on, reaching 104 that night at bedtime. Not only was I extremely worried about her as this was my first time dealing with a fever that high, but all I could think was, "No, no, no, this has to go away ASAP! She cannot be sick on her first birthday!" It didn't matter that she wouldn't know it was her birthday, no one should be sick on their birthday - especially not the very first one! So on Wednesday I called on my prayer warriors - my former students, the ones who prayed for me and Eden all throughout my pregnancy and, according to their Bible teacher, still pray for us. I contacted one of my teacher friends with instructions for those kids - "Eden has a fever, and I need them to pray, pray, pray that she will be okay and that she will NOT be sick on her birthday!" She told me they prayed real good for Baby Girl for two days, and on Friday she woke up completely fever free for her first little birthday.
But for me, the celebrating began Thursday night. Eden's little birthday actually lasted from Thursday night until Monday for me. On Thursday night, I laid in bed, in the exact same spot that I had laid exactly one year earlier, and I remembered... how I felt that night knowing that in just a few short hours, I would be getting up to go to the hospital to give birth to my little girl... how I laid there that night just feeling her move and kick, just the two of us for the last time. One year later and I was curled up in that same spot holding my feverish little baby. Oh, how far we had come.
I woke up so excited and happy on Friday. I put her little crown on her head and sang "Happy Birthday" to her, and I admit I cried at 10:01 - the time she was born. There were some sad tears, yes - tears that her first year was over. But mainly they were happy tears - tears of joy at how amazing this past year was, thankful tears that I have such a beautiful, healthy little girl, tears for just how perfect she is and how happy I am to have her.
Growing up, every single year on my birthday at 3:07 pm, my mom would tell me all about the day I was born. Even now, I still call her at 3:07 just so I can hear the story. So when I noticed that it was 10:01, I held Eden close, and I told her all about January 18, 2012. I thanked her for a magical year. I hope it becomes a tradition for me and her, the same as it is for me and my mom, and I hope even after she grows up, moves out, and gets married, she will call me at 10:01, just to hear the story.
And Dustin wore the same pink shirt he wore last January 18th. =)
Friday afternoon, Eden, Dustin and I set out to pick up her birthday present in Houston. We bought her a little play set for outside, and it was SUPPOSED to be delivered in time for her party, but it WASN'T, so we went to go get it instead. This gave us an opportunity to drive by the hospital though, which of course sent me to crying again. I cried off and on all day. I watched the clock all day, and I would think back to what I was doing at that exact time a year earlier. Then I would look at Eden and just be amazed at what she has turned into in just one short year.
There are sooo many things about that time that I never want to forget, and as that day gets farther and farther away, I'm so scared that I'm going to. I don't ever want to forget the way she looked, staring at me when I held her for the first time - she kept sticking her tongue out at me. I don't want to forget how I felt when I saw Dustin hold her for the first time. I don't want to forget how on her second day in the world, when I went to take a shower that morning, Dustin dressed her in one of the little outfits I had packed to surprise me. He was so sweet. I don't want to forget how ridiculous she looked in her going home outfit since I was completely unprepared for just how little she was going to be, and her "newborn" hat swallowed her little head. Like seriously - ridiculous. I look at the pictures now and laugh.
On Saturday, we had Eden's birthday party. I considered briefly having it Friday evening, but decided that I wanted to be completely selfish and have our baby all to ourselves on her birthday, so Saturday it was! I'll write more about her party in a later post.
On Sunday, I was still remembering and celebrating. Sunday was the anniversary of the day we got to bring our itsy-bitsy baby home from the hospital. Oh my goodness, I remember how absolutely little and pathetic she looked in her car seat and how nervous I was on the drive home. We stopped first at my Granny and Pops' house so that Eden could meet her Granny, Pops and Uncle Harold for the first time. I took Eden and a cupcake over to their house this past Sunday and informed my grandpa that it was the anniversary of the first time he and Eden met. I remember how little she was in her bassinet that night and how blissfully happy I was going to sleep that night with my little girl right next to my bed.
Monday was the anniversary of our first full day at home. I was so freaking proud last year for everybody to come to our house and meet Eden. And I took this picture:
And today, I'm pretty sure those dogs are Eden's best friends.
Eden had to go to the doctor on Monday where she weighed in at 18 lbs. 3 oz., placing her in the 5th percentile. My tiny little girl. That afternoon I took her and a dozen cupcakes to the school to celebrate her birthday with my other kids. They like to touch her.
It was an amazing five days of remembering.
Since my 11 month posting, the biggest accomplishment that Eden has had is that she took her first steps. And my gosh, it was PERFECT. When I was an itsy-bitsy baby, I took my very first steps at my grandparents house. When I was pregnant, my grandpa told me that the only thing he was still looking forward to in this life was to see my baby girl take her first steps where I took mine. Well, if your eighty year old grandpa tells you this, you gotta make it happen. So I worked and worked with Eden in that spot, and on January 8th, she took her first steps. Two little steps to me in the same place that I had taken my first steps to my mom twenty-six years earlier, and she did it right in front of my grandpa. I was weepy the rest of that day - I was just so dang happy about how perfect it was!
She still prefers crawling though. She'll take a few steps here and there these days, but then she gets impatient and drops to her knees to crawl the rest of the way to her destination.
A picture of Eden from every month this past year:
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
Oh, what a year. God has blessed me more than I ever dreamed possible.
I absolutely love remembering both the day you were born and the day Marshall was born. I always loved telling you your story, because I felt it important for you to know all about it, but also because I'm selfish. I loved reliving it. There are things I also hope to never forget, and reliving it over and over again helps ensure that.
ReplyDeleteAs usual, your post made me both laugh and cry .... and when you can make your readers do both, you've done good.