Kiera Through the Years

My baby will be thirteen tomorrow, January 11th. I cannot believe it! Who the heck gave her permission to turn thirteen? I think I'm gonna have to have some words with someone! :o)

In the meantime, in honor of her turning into an actual TEENager...
some pictures of Kiera from the beginning :o)

My momma took me to the hospital around 1130P on January 10th, 1999, and after about 19 hours of labor, my baby girl was born. I know she is destined for great things because when she was born she wasn't breathing and her heart had stopped, but not even 12 hours later they were having to put a hep-lock in her HEAD because she kept kicking it off her foot! :o) I have never seen what she looked like at that moment... only my doctor, the nurses and my momma saw her. Before taking Kiera to the NICU, the nurse brought Kiera to me and had me kiss her... twice. Once for hello, and once for good-bye. I only found that out later. My momma threw out the disposable camera that she took pictures with, she didn't want us to have those memories.

I love to show Kiera this picture to let her see how wiped out I was after giving birth to her LOL I was 19 years old and so completely lost... thank God for my momma and Greg!!

Kiera is 3 days old here. I LOVE this picture of her!

Me and Kiera at about 3 or 4 months old.... I just want to squish those cheeks!

There is NOTHING like the sight of a sleeping baby, especially your own :o)

Kiera used to make this awesome face when she was happy...
she'd snuffle through her squooshed up nose :o)

Kiera's ears were my favorite when she was a baby :o) I couldn't tell you why, but I loved them!

Kiera, about 18 months, hanging out with her Uncle Jon at her grandma's Post Office.

Rick, me and Kiera... she's about 18 months.

At SLO creek, not quite 2

2 years, 11 months :o)

Kiera's 3rd birthday (hi, mom!!!)

2004, Kindergarten school picture

Christmas 2006... such a proud big sister (with her sassy Emmie & floppy Abi LOL)

7 years old... already looking so much bigger!

Christmas 2007 ... she's almost 9 years old!

9 years old... I love this girl!

Skipping a few years (can't find the pictures!!)

February 2011... 12 years old

My rocker... she LOVED going to the EMP/SFM... it was so her thing!

So, now she'll be thirteen. I absolutely LOVE who she is becoming! She has her own individual style, the funkier the better seems to be her theory. She has developed her own taste in music, taking a little of mine, a little of Rick's and quite a bit of her own. She likes R&B and pop, but you'll find her singing along with Queen, Brian Setzer, Zac Brown Band or Bob Seger. (oh yeah, I'm a proud momma!) She's an avid reader of fantasy. Harry Potter? Percy Jackson? She's read all those series... three times! And now, she's reading Michael Crichton. (yup, prouder still!) And she LOVES to help out with cooking and cleaning (seriously!!!).

Yup, she's destined for amazing things...
and God has given me the blessing to be a witness to them all!

Happy birthday, Kiera!!!

Today is my birthday.

My 30th birthday.

I'm not sure what I was expecting from the day. For sure, I wasn't expecting what I got. :o)

Where we live, we have to take our Christmas trees to be recycled ourselves... since today was the last day to drop them off, Rick took our tree to the recycle yard. On his way home, I asked him to pick me up a Bruegger's bagel. A Sunday Brunch sandwich to be exact. It was so yummy... a french toast bagel, Vermont maple syrup cream cheese (oh yea baby!), eggs and sausage. I want another one! :o) He brought me home my bagel... and a balloon and carnations. I'm not a carnation 'person', I love Gerbera daisies, but carnations are my 'birth' flower... just as special to me! :o)

Not too long later, my sister-in-law came walking in the front door. Can I just say I LOVE that we live close enough to them (2 blocks to be exact!), and I'm close enough to her, for this to be awesome? It is. She brought with her balloons, one of which declares that I'm 30 :o) She also brought me presents!! A bundt pan (which I totally need!), casserole cozies (which I totally love) and a Coach purse (which I'm totally digging!). Tonight, she made me (and her family, of course!) some of the yummiest enchiladas. I baked my cake, German chocolate cake, thank you very much! :o)

Its been a wonderful day! Blows so many of my past birthdays out of the water... except my 18th :o)