Two Years of Emily

It was a struggle to become pregnant the first time but not the second, and just as we were celebrating Hannah's first birthday we learned I was pregnant with Emily. We were overjoyed, of course, but just a bit suprised to be having a second so soon after the first! The only child in me had to adjust to a lot of emotions...how could I ever love anyone like I loved Hannah? What do you do with two at once? And, heavens, what if they fought? I would not know what to do!
Unlike her sister, who came four weeks early, Emily took her sweet time. Three days past my due date, I went to see Dr. Gabe for some pressure point encouragement. That night, at midnight on April 20th, I had my first contraction. However, having had contractions for five months at this point I did not panic, took my shower, called my mother, woke Daniel, etc. And then things began to intensify. Remembering the 16 hours of labor with Hannah, I tried to remain calm. We woke her, dressed her, and headed to my friend Laurel's house. By the time we arrived, though, I was in some major pain and began to feel the urge to push. :) When I got to labor and delivery, they calmly found me a bed. Nothing was calm after they found out I was 9cm dialated. I have never seen nurses run and things happen so quickly at a hospital. All my pleas for an epidural (even when I let the receptionist know as soon as we arrived!) fell on deaf ears because it was too late. Emily was no longer taking her sweet time and my body underwent what I call the Emily makeover. :) She was delivered by the nurses around 4am, several minutes before Dr. Nichols arrived.
I remember seeing her for the first time and whispering, "Emily Grace" because the name we had picked seemed to fit her so perfectly. She was so adorable and immediately I felt this love for her well up inside of me, so different from my love for Hannah and yet somehow the same. She graciously made things a lot easier on me the second time around, eating well, sleeping pretty well, and being a content baby girl most of the time. I think the moment she came home she fell in love with this little person that studied her and wanted to touch her eyes and nose so badly. She adored Hannah from the moment they met and her aspiration in life has been to catch up. The week after she learned to sit up, she began crawling (no blanket time for Mommy!). She walked just after the ten month mark, she began potty training herself around sixteen months, and she has recently begun to speak in full paragraphs.
I love you, Emily. I love that you look like your Daddy and that you want to grow up so fast but you want to do it your way. I love that you want to play your own way on your own time and that your stubborn strength will be used of the Lord one day. I love your repentant heart and your little apologies, and I love that you love to "nuggle." I love saying prayers with you and watching you sleep, listening to you sing, and hearing you laugh. You are my sweet baby girl, my "Mimi."