Oh, great! I Blinked!

There is that new country song called "Don't Blink" which talks about a 100 year old man and how he advised everyone not to blink or they will miss life. Well, guess what? I blinked. Hannah turns 9 today. I keep thinking of what life was like February 10, 2000 when she was born and it seems almost surreal. I am okay with them growing up most of the time, because is means they are normal (relatively speaking). But on their birthdays I have to remind myself to like this growing up thing. Why does 9 seem so different? She doesn't look different or act different than she did when she was 8. Maybe because she is 1 away from being a decade old. Maybe it is because she is half way to 18 (or worse only 4 away from being a teenager). Where does the time go? I thought today that I would have liked to peek forward just a bit, just to know that it would go so fast, because I would have cherished all those firsts and lasts and in betweens so much more. I am not one to live a life of regret, so I wouldn't change anything at all about the past 9 years, but I sure would like to do them over again - just for fun!

Hannah was definitely the easiest baby. She slept well, all night at about 3 weeks, and remains to this day my only success story about sleeping babies. She had a natural love for people from the beginning and never shied away from anyone. She was and is a drama queen and dives wholeheartedly into whatever she is doing at the time. We refer to her as artsy-fartsy, loves to sing, dance, is learning piano, and writes all the time. She is our valedictorian in training and loves research, reading, and school, to name a few. She is mostly princess but sometimes tomboy, friend to her brothers and sister, and lover of life.

I think she would make her birthday a national holiday if possible and has insisted on a white sweet sixteen donut with a candle in it, getting to sit at the head of the table and so on and so forth because it is her birthday. So today we get to celebrate with her and enjoy her favorite macaroni and cheese and remember what we were doing 9 years ago!

then...


and now.