Five

I had to look back at my post from 5 years ago for all the details...

"We have been blessed again with the arrival of Sarah Elizabeth. January 26, 2007 at 7:38 PM. She weighed 7 lbs and 2 oz and was 19 1/2 inches long. She is so precious and doing wonderfully. This is my favorite picture of her because it is exactly how she looked at me the first time I saw her when they put her on my tummy. She is amazing!"

I knew she was born around 7:30ish (it was change of shift and the day nurse and nursing student stayed over until she arrived), but all of those stats moms are supposed to remember just do NOT stick in my head--and not just hers.  My poor memory is equal opportunity.  Anyway, my brain is busy remembering things like Wednesday is library day, book bags come home on Thursday and are due back on Monday, Word Wall tests are on Friday...so they should forgive me, right?

I do remember that it was snowing that day.  I know that five days earlier I had secretly wished a stomach virus we all had would put me into labor so that she could have the 22nd as her birth date like her brother and sister---I certainly didn't want to wait until February 22nd!  I know that when the contractions started I got up and moved around trying to encourage them--I was scheduled to work that night and certainly didn't want to go into labor at work even though it was a hospital, it wasn't the right one.  I know we really had no plan for the other two kids until that day.  All really weird things to remember--other than the snow.

I know that all of the Men In Blacks played on repeat that weekend while I was in the hospital and I really wished it would have been something more girly.  I remember how badly I felt that we brought Hannah in to meet her sister when she should have been napping and it didn't go at all as I'd pictured it in my head.  I remember I couldn't wait to get home.

Today I tried to tell her a little bit about the day she was born, but I think at five years old all she could really handle was the part about it snowing.  When I told her that Nathan and Hannah were with our friends, she asked why she didn't go.  The being in the belly part is harder for the baby of the family to grasp I think.

We had a nice, low key Sarah and Mommy kinda day.  A good thing at the end of a week without daddy.  She has big plans for his return tomorrow afternoon.  I did my best to soak up the word quota, the snuggles and the easy moments.  I heard again that full day kindergarten is a sure thing next year.  Last year I thought that was what I wanted.  This year it makes me cry.  My baby's five today.  Love her.