Elizabeth Ruth Turns Three

Well it is hard to believe but my little water baby has turned three, and what a birthday she had. We were wiser this year and decided to open presents first thing in the morning instead of waiting for supper. That was what we did last year and we regretted that decision, poor Elizabeth was so grouchy by that point and then she had to go to bed before she really got a chance to play with her toys so that made her even more miserable. This way she had a whole day to play, and her older sister was at school and she was able to go down to her playroom and avoid the younger sister so she had a chance to play uninterrupted and without having to share which I think she really enjoyed. For supper we went to Chuck E Cheese for pizza and lots and lots of fun. Her friends Noah and Reem were able to come to enjoy the evening with her, and Samantha and Timothy were there to visit with Jess. It was really nice cause the kids would take off by themselves and play and the parents got a unique chance to sit around and chat as well.

It's strange to think that it was three years ago that she arrived into the world. I was induced in the morning and she was born three hours later. She wasn't out completely when the nurse told me to look, and I saw her and cried out "baby" and she turned her head to the sound of my voice. I remember that like it was yesterday, it moved me so much I cried and cried. She was born so quickly though that the demerol wasn't out of my system yet, and hadn't cleared hers so she didn't cry loudly like they wanted. They immediately took her to the NICU to make sure her lungs were okay. At one point my dad said to me "Are you okay," I remember telling him I wouldn't be okay till they brought her back to me, and she was in her bassinet beside me where she belonged. She did graduate early from the NICU she was only in there for four hours when all three other mothers I was with had to leave the hospital with their babies still in the NICU. The staff from the NICU gave her a bath and brought me a polaroid to show me how she fell asleep during her bath. They were so surprised because no other baby had ever fallen asleep during her first bath that usually they cry through them, so when she just laid back and went to sleep they were shocked. So I prayed hard and within four hours she was in my arms and we had a prayer of blessing over her.

She was a chilly baby, and so had trouble sleeping in the bassinet. So I pulled her in bed with me and kept her warm sleeping with me. Looking back I remember at one point she was just staring at me her eyes fixed and her mouth would open as if she was trying to say something, but she didn't have a strong enough voice yet and I remember thinking to myself it almost looks like she's trying to talk. Well now I know I was right because her lungs are fine, she has the Blythe booming voice, and the Blythe talking gene, and she has more than made up for that silent night, for she has become the one that talks and talks and talks and talks. From the moment she wakes up until her head hits the pillow she is talking, to me, her dad, her sisters, and if no one is around herself.