14

One of the more fun (funner, as the kids would say) aspects of our brood is that birthday season lasts a long time in these parts.  I am secretly kind of proud of the fact that I managed to have all the kids in different months, even though I had absolutely nothing to do with that timing.  Nothing like taking credit where credit is not due, right?

We get to celebrate a birthday every month from December to August, with the exception of April.  (But  my nephew's birthday is in April, so that's like our back-up birthday.)

This month, we celebrate Francie, who turns 14 today.

When I was pregnant with Francie, I told the doctor that my due date was July 16th.  We practice NFP, and math might not be my strong suit, but I can add.

After my initial ultrasound, he said he thought I should be due earlier than that, based on the baby's leg measurements.

I was 22, and I was far away from home, and I was not very confident in my NFP abilities, so I went along with the amended due date of July 8th.  It wasn't like he was telling me I was due in June, after all.

Well, July 8, 1999 came and went and I was still pregnant.  I waddled around Florida in JULY at 9 months pregnant.  And until we purchased a used sedan when I was almost full term, I would drive around Florida in a pick-up truck that had no air conditioning.

I think I gained the least amount of weight with Francie because I sweated it all off.  I sure wasn't helping myself with my steady diet of chocolate ice cream.

On the afternoon of July 15th, I felt my first contractions and by that evening I was all tucked away in the tiniest labor closet room that Naval Hospital Pensacola had to offer.

My labor went on through the night, and after 3 (3! THREE! *&^%^%) hours of non-stop pushing, on the morning of July 16th, Francie was born.

Now where had I heard the date JULY 16TH before?  Hmmm, don't tell me, it will come to me.  

Oh yes, now I remember.  I told them that.

Her head was so perfectly round that one of the nurses in postpartum swore she was a c-section baby.  Nope, just one hard headed baby.  In a good way, of course.

She was also almost TWO FEET LONG.  She was 8 pounds and 9 ounces, but she looked like a stick figure because she was 23 3/4 inches long.  That's tall, people.  The nurses measured her multiple times because they thought they were wrong.

No wonder they thought she was older than she was when they measured her leg on ultrasound.  She had the femur of a 3 year old in utero.

 Her beginning is how her whole life with us has been -- she is constantly amazing us, exceeding expectations, surpassing the average, and forging her own way.  

And I hope she never stops.

Happy birthday, my lovely!  We love you dearly.