Happy Birthday Averi Kate!

Averi Kate, we have been waiting so anxiously for you! We are glad you decided to make your appearance 8 days before your due date!

I thought you would be here even earlier...I had been having contractions for over 2 weeks, but you just kept tricking me! Little teaser. Saturday morning (Feb 25) around 2:30 I woke up to strong contractions every 7-8 minutes. I got up, walked around, washed dishes, and they still didn't go away. This is it, I thought! Your daddy got up and waited with me. He was so worried that I was going to have you in the kitchen, he wanted to leave for the hospital right away! But at 6:30 that morning, you had your last laugh when the contractions stopped. I thought, I can't take this anymore!!!

I went for a walk that morning, trying to encourage you to come on out! Around lunchtime the contractions started back up, and this time they kept getting stronger and closer together. I knew that it had to finally be time for you to come. I decided to stay at home as long as I could, doing normal activities to take my mind off of the pain. Finally around 3:15, I went outside and told your daddy that it was time to go to the hospital. He dropped his tools (he was working on the car) and ran inside, took a shower, loaded up the truck, and off to the hospital we went. We got to the labor and delivery floor around 4:00, where I found out that I was almost 5cm dilated and that yes, this was the real deal! You were really coming!

The next couple of hours were intense. My contractions built up very fast and were soon coming just 1-2 minutes apart. Uncle Bo and Aunt Bonnie came to pick your big sister up from the hospital while we were waiting for you to be born. To get through the contractions I watched the UGA basketball game and counted out loud until each contraction was over. Your daddy was the best coach ever. He kept me calm, reminded me to relax between contractions, and cooled my face with a wet washcloth. It was hard work!!! They were really coming fast and hard. But it's the kind of pain with a purpose, so I just kept thinking of the prize at the end...You!!! The next time the nurse checked me I was 7 cm dilated. My doctor soon arrived (I think just before 6:00) and asked if I would like to "get this show on the road" by breaking my water! As soon as he did that my contractions started coming right on top of each other, and within 20 minutes I was ready to push! It was hard not to push while the nurses got the room ready, but soon everyone was in position and I had permission to push you on out...and boy were you ready! It only took 2 contractions and about 4 or 5 pushes to get you out into this world!!!


You were born at 6:34 PM on February 25, 2012. You weighed 7 lbs 13 oz and were 20.5 inches long. You were very bruised and swollen from being pushed out so fast (I'm sorry!) You were quiet when you came out (I think you were in shock) but you were perfectly healthy. All I could say after you were born was, "I am so thankful...I am so thankful..." over and over again.


We love you. You are God's precious gift to us. He answered many prayers in your delivery. I was very nervous about your birth because I had a really hard time and lots of complications with your big sister's delivery. I did end up with 2nd degree tearing this time, but it wasn't nearly as bad as the first time and more importantly, God gave me peace in the midst of my fear. I hope that the lessons He taught me through your birth will also be reflected in your own life.

Your daddy and I (and your sister and grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins!) are thrilled that you are here. We are so glad to have you in our lives now. Happy birthday, Averi Kate!

Claire Says the Darndest Things...

The other day we were in the car and I was asking Claire if she remembered the Bible story that we read the night before. Honestly, Spencer and I didn't think she had been listening at all, as she was really wired that night, so I didn't expect her to remember anything.

Me: Claire, do you remember the Bible story we read last night?
C: Yeah.
Me: Remember how Jesus washed His disciples' feet?
C: Yeah, and a bowl.
Me: Yes, He had a bowl of water, and He washed His disciples' feet.
C: That was yellow Jesus.
Me: Yellow Jesus???
C: Yeah. I have a purple Jesus too.
Me: Okay...

That night when we opened up Claire's picture Bible I noticed that Jesus is wearing a purple outer robe. That was Claire's purple Jesus. Then I remembered, when Jesus washed His disciples' feet, He took off His outer robe. I told Spencer to turn to that page, and sure enough Jesus' "under-robe" was yellow.

She was paying attention after all :)


In another car conversation, we started talking about how not everyone knows that Jesus loves them, and we want to do things for people to show them Jesus' love, and how we need to tell people that Jesus loves them, etc. I think I ended with a restatement like, "Because, Claire, we know that Jesus loves us, but not everyone does!" Claire thought about this for a second, and then nodded her head and said, "It's ok. Daddy fix it."

Daddy can fix anything.


She loves playing with dominoes but calls them her "dinosaurs."

She makes "lists" all the time on scrap paper and says she needs to go to Walmart or Kroger.

One time Spencer told Claire that her shoes smelled bad. I can't remember why, but now Claire will randomly start sniffing the air and saying, "I fell ('smell') something....Might be my shoes."

When we say the blessing before eating, Claire always wants to pray first. She says, "Thank you God and my food, amen." Well, at nighttime we pray before bedtime and again, Claire wants to pray first and then either Spencer or I will also pray aloud. It's so funny though because she starts in with her traditional "thank you for the food" prayer but then remembers that we're not about to eat...and it goes like this..."Thank you God and...thank you God...and...I...can't...say...the...words." Cracks me up every single time.


In other awesome news, Claire hasn't worn a diaper (except at nighttime) since last Wednesday (like, a week and 2 days ago!) I believe we have a potty-trained 2 year old on our hands! Thank the Lord for His perfect timing! :)

I am going for my 37-week checkup today and will try to post the news (or non-news) later this afternoon. It is always a thrill to hear sweet Averi Kate's heartbeat!