January 30

As I recall this date eight years ago...it's hard to tell which was bigger...my belly or my excitement! I was busy making preparations and pretty much beside myself with anticipation of the little girl who would soon join our life and family. Little did I know on that 30th day of January exactly how soon she'd join us. Her "Poppy" kept saying she was coming the end of January, but with a due date of February 11th I was convinced that she was going to be a "Valentine's baby"! Oh how different the plan for us was!

I had gone to work that day...made dinner...went to an evening checkup with the dr. (who said that I would most likely go past my due date and that my little princess would be approximately 7-8 pounds. I stopped by my parents for a short time, went home, had a bowl of ice cream (my favorite food at the time and ever since) and snuggled into bed for as much sleep as you can get when you're that far along in pregnancy and oh so huge!

While up for a routine trip to down the hall to the bathroom about 2:30am (you know what I mean about routine middle of the night bathroom trips if you've ever been pregnant) and it soon became clear that Emily's grand appearance was not scheduled for February!

Being that I was still had some time before my due date, I hadn't yet packed my bag for the hospital. So I called Ben who was working overnights and then began to scramble to get ready to go.

Once at the hospital, the Lil Miss decided that she was in no rush to make her appearance. After the longest day of my life, Emily Claire was born at 11:29pm on January 31st. She was incredibly beautiful and oh so tiny...a mere 5lbs 4oz. And that was the beginning of the amazing journey we've been on since.

As we prepare to celebrate her 8th birthday tomorrow I can hardly believe how fast time has gone. She has brought more joy into my life than I could ever have imagined. I am so proud to have her and to be her momma.

Busy....Busy...Busy

So much has happened since I last posted here. We've been so busy having fun and living life I just haven't written. (That and facebook has been taking me away a bit, too.)

We had an amazing holiday season with lots of family fun. Christmas was wonderful as usual (with Aunt Barb here from Orlando again this year) and New Year's was real nice...especially with a visit from Steph & Marty.

On a sad note, shortly after the new year began we had to let our old furry friend, Gromit go. He was showing his age and then some and had developed some medical issues. Though it was one of the most difficult and painful decisions we've had to make, we said our goodbyes and let him go. He will be forever in our hearts and part of the family.

Emily's 8th birthday is fast approaching and she will be playing hostess to some friends for her first ever sleepover. There's an exciting birthday surprise in the works that I'm sure will warrant a photo opportunity...possibly a video clip. Stay tuned...

Hope you all survived the holidays and getting back into the swing of things this new year.

Blessings!
Gabrielle