Delaney's Birthday Story

Four years ago I was 40 weeks pregnant with our second child. We didn't know if she was a boy or a girl, but I hoped like mad that he/she would have their father's brown eyes. She was due on June 3rd and we were getting down to the wire. We had 20 days to find and purchase a new home before we had to be out of our old one that had already been sold. No pressure.

Clare and I and 2 1/2 year old Cecelia were out househunting and came here, to 17th Terrace, on a whim to appease my husband who really wanted a house with a pool. After looking at Lord knows how many houses, this one was definitely more bang for the buck. I loved it enough to make it our new home. Acting as our own real estate agent I called the sellers and told them we'd be sending a purchase agreement their way the next day.

That night I printed off all the necessary paperwork but felt "wierd" so put it off to go to bed early. Now, wouldn't you know I went in to labor that night. 2:00 a.m. it all started. By 5:00a.m. I woke Bill up. I asked him to time my contractions and fill out the purchase agreement by basically copying off a different purchase agreement and changing the numbers.

Very shortly after we were at the hospital. Luckily, Bill's cousin was my broker and she took the paperwork off of our hands. We were literally buying a home and having a baby at the exact same time. She was faxing paperwork from the hospital. Not kidding.

Our little - surprise! - baby girl came in to the world quietly and easily. I barely even remember being in the hospital. I do remember those big brown eyes, though, and the fact that she knew how to nurse right away.

Delaney was the world's easiest baby. When my Mom came to visit when she was two weeks old we couldn't figure out why she was being so fussy at 9:00 at night. I brought her up to our room and as soon as it was quiet and dark she calmed down and went to bed. From there on in she went to bed every night at the same time. She woke every couple of hours to eat and would sleep in until 9:00 in the morning (my kind of girl!). She slept so much that I even questioned the doctor about it a couple of times. Seriously, 16 hours at a time. Turned out we were just lucky.

I still feel lucky, 4 years later. Even though I wouldn't necessarily still describe her as "easy" she is a big, HUGE source of joy and love for our family. Nurturing and curious, she is our perfect middle child.

Happy Birthday Monkey!