Two years ago at his time, I was milling around, cleaning the house and getting ready for bed. The next day would be my due date for Baby Girl...but I never expected that I would have her that day...I thought I had several days at least before she would make an appearance. Afterall, her brother had to be induced....and I felt absolutely normal...so why would I think anything else? I hadn't even packed my hospital suitcase yet. And then, just about 20 minutes after crawling into bed for the night on December 1, 2006...at just after midnight, my water broke.
I was surprised. I couldn't believe it. I got up...and yes, it seemed as if Baby Mary Katherine was right on time. She was coming on HER DUE DATE, no less! Paul was just coming up to bed...and I told him he might not want to go to sleep yet as my water had just broken. He said, oh my gosh, you need to call the doctor. I looked up some info on water breaking on the internet and then called the hospital.
The doctor on call said that I needed to come in so that they could indcuce labor if I didn't go into labor on my own if my water had really broken. He asked if I was feeling any contractions and I said no. I asked if I had time to shower and pack my bags, he said that was fine. So while Paul was nervously getting things ready and rushing me along, I took my time and packed my bag and took a shower and did my hair. By the time that we got to the hospital (about 2 hours later, I was feeling some pretty strong contractions. They did give me some pictocine to help things along....but our beautiful little blonde princess was born at 5:17am, less than two hours after we checked in at the hospital.
It all seems like just yesterday that I saw her little round head for the first time. She looked so different than her brother did when he was born, yet so much like him at the same time. She was much more spirited than he was right from the start and our little firecracker has remained true to herslef to date.
In just a few hours our little baby girl will turn two. Two year old. How does a tiny little infant with red little fingers and such a tiny little body grow so fast. Ho does such a tiny little being grow so quickly and evelope her mother's heart? It has certainly been a different path with little Katie. She is so much more independant than Jack was. Her battle cry is "Me do it." even at the ripe age of 18 months, she wanted to do everything herself. She has always seemed so strong, both physically and emotionally. Sometimes, this made it harder to feel the motehrly instincts of protection and overwhelming uges to help her that I thought I should be feeling. But Mary Katherine needs love just as much as her much more dependant and eager to please brother. She just cannot show it. And this, I should have recognised long ago, as ithis is exactly how her own mommy grew up. Always afraid to show vulnerability...so strong on the outside, so independant...but so craving of comfort and nurturing on the inside....
I see this in my sweet baby girl. She is sooo very very smart. Her little mind is always working. She knows exactly when to tell you that she loves you...and can flash her temper and stick to her guns regardless of the consequences....she is true to her feelings...and stand strong. She is also a true and gentle nurturer. Always worried about otehrs when they are hurt or upset. She is the first to run to someone and comfort them...even when she was just a baby barely able to annunciate, when her brother would cry she would be right there rubbing his back and saying, "T's awight, Gack...t's awight." She has aways been so gentle and responsive to the animals. They have allowed her to pet them and sit with them since she was old enough to walk, unlike otehr children. They trust her...and she responds to their trust with her gentle ways.
At almost two, this little girl is athletic! She can hang and jump from a trapeze, jump several feet in the air on a trampolene, walk across a balance beam, ride a thee wheeled scooter like a pro (to the point that people stop on the street to ask how old she is because they can't believe that someone so tiny can ride a scooter like she does.) She is so coordinated and physically fit that she can climb and jump with ability beyond her age.
And she is beautiful. People often comment on how pretty she is. She has tiny and delicate little features that make her look liek a littel fairy. She is petite with pretty golden blonde hair and brown eyes...quite striking and definitely a child that you would call beautiful.
She LOVES to be read to. She would allow you to read to her for hours if you would oblige her. However, she shows no interest in learning the letters, or numbers or colors like her brother did. She seems much more interested in the actual story...and in the characters...and in acting out what is happening inthe story or what the characters are doing.
At almost two, Katie knows how to evaluate a situation...and how to fib to save ehrself (her brother still ahsn't figured this out...and I hope he never will.) If caught in the act...she will acknowledge the misdeed then proclaim that she loves you iun the same breath (how can you punish her then?)
She is still nursing...and has made up her own word for it: "NUMMITZ". She is not a great eater...and LOVES candy and sweets. She eats very little compared to what Jack used to eat at her age...and it is impossible to force her to eat more than a bite or two sometimes.
She has a very large vocabulary and speaks in sentences of 5+ words all of the time. She "writes" or colors holding the pen or crayon correctly. She pretends to read books (to try to be like her big brother).
Shea bsolutely ADORES, IDOLIZES, and LOVES Jack. She often runs to him for protection, or for comfort. She wants to do whatever he does. She immitates everything that he does (this can be good and bad!) And the first person she looks for in the morning is"Jack". Jack is a hero to Katie....despite their bickering over toys and otehr minor issues, Katie would choose Jack over any other person (including me and Dadddy) in the world...she loves him so much. I hope he never betrays that trust/love.
I just can't believe that time has gone by so fast. I can't believe that our baby girl....our precious little golden headed baby is turning two tomorrow. Over the last few months, Katie and Mommy have grown so close. I have begun to understand this little person. She is so wise beyond her years....and so much like her Mommy, that her Mommy never even noticed it. I love you so much my most precious little girl. Please don't be too strong to reach out and accept love from your Mommy. I love you so much....I want to igve you the world..and keep you safe and protect you for as long as I can. Please don't grow up too quickly...let me hold you and shelter you Baby Girl. You will always be my baby girl...forever....please don't feel tha tyou have to be strong....Mommy will protect you. I love you my sweet Baby Girl.
(I will always remember the night when Mommy was working onthe computer...and you were crying...adn having a fit. You were just 14-15 months old...but you were demanding that you didn't want to go into the bedroom to lay down. Mommy finally got tiered of trying to convince you to go into the bed so she got angry and told you to just lay down and sleep on the floor. Your little baby self looked at Mommy broken...adn you layed down on the hard wood floor, curled up near Mommy's feet to go to sleep. My heart broke into a million pieces. I am crying my eyes out right now thinking of my tiny little baby girl laying there on the floor. I love you my sweet baby girl. Please know that you don't have to be strong ...I love you so much.)
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