We Don't Eat Bugs: Two!

It's hard to believe that I posted the Candyland party just a year ago. My babies are growing up without my permission. I'm having a bit of trouble letting go, so Lydia will have to be the "baby" for a little while longer. She celebrated her second birthday two days ago, and while her actual party won't be until next month, I made her a pink chocolate cake to eat with just the six of us. She spent her day reading books with mommy, taking care of her baby doll, and playing with her sisters and brother.

Lydia came into our lives when we least expected it. Bill still vividly remembers eating at a restaurant with our three small kids, when I came back from the bathroom and quietly announced I was pregnant. I didn't have a pregnancy test at the restaurant, obviously, but after going through three pregnancies, I knew the signs. When we confirmed it was true a few days later, we were both in utter shock. We thought we were happy with three children and weren't looking to add to the family- at least not yet. But here she was, and it didn't take long to fall madly in love with the little baby growing inside. Life surrounding the pregnancy came with its ups and downs- Bill made a career change, and we moved to another town closer to where I grew up. I even gracefully broke my foot in the garage on the very day we closed on our new house. Actually, it was the literal first step I took into the new home. So I had the pleasure of unpacking and setting up our new home while pregnant and hobbling on one foot. Kudos to my mom and aunt for helping me out in those first few days. Bill was working out of town for several months of the pregnancy, so I was definitely lonely most of the time. It was comforting to know, though, that the baby was growing normally, and everything seemed to be right on track.We soon found out it was a girl (yay!) and while I've always loved the name Caroline (with a long i) we agreed on names from my mom's side of the family- Lydia Kate. I felt blessed beyond what anyone deserves, and even with all the pains of pregnancy, I was so very happy. The day that she was born was magical-my mom and husband were by my side, and I had an amazing OB who listened to what I wanted for the labor and delivery. Other than a brief but very scary moment when my blood pressure plummeted, there were no complications. It was pure joy the moment I reached down and pulled her up to my chest. She was beautiful- and screaming mad. I laughed and told Bill she was already throwing a fit. She is still able to hold her own and take care of herself.

Lydia is our little firecracker. She loves to read books- nonstop to the point that I can read her favorites with my eyes shut tight- and takes relatively good care of her baby dolls. Her new bitty baby that Grandma gave her for Christmas "poo poos" a lot, and needs countless diaper changes. Lydia is our first baby to love sleep, and that is just dandy with me. She sleeps past 9am most mornings, and takes three hour naps during the day. She is a late talker, but babbles in what I'm pretty sure is Russian. She has dark eyebrows, big beautiful brown eyes, and light brown hair that is taking its time to grow in. That's ok though- she looks more like a baby because of it. She loves to be prissy in dresses and skirts, and wears her gold bangle bracelet and pearl necklace every day. She is still madly in love with her passy (pacifier), and it's going to be a dark day when we take it away from her. We transitioned her to a toddler bed on Christmas Eve, which was harder on mommy than anyone else.

Lydia is such a joy to our lives. She has had more than her fair share of medical problems in this past year, but with our Lord's help we'll get her through it all. There is nothing I would change about her coming into our family. I'm so thankful that God crashed past birth control and used His own will to bring her to us. Love you, baby girl. Love you so very much.

First time I saw her pretty screaming face.