Happy 5th Birthday, ELLA!

SURPRISE!!!!





5 years ago today Ella gave us the biggest surprise of our lives when she was born a girl! We didn't want to know the sex of our baby, but thought the doctor forgot during a sonogram near the end of my pregnancy. He kept referring to the baby as 'he' and 'brother', so we just thought he'd forgotten that we didn't want to know. I went home and got 'his' closet ready, getting out all of Hunter's baby clothes and hanging them up, ready to go.

At about 32 weeks I started having contractions. The doctor eventually put me on medication to get them under control. At 38 weeks he stopped the medication. We prepared for me to go into labor at any moment.

We waited.

We waited some more.

Nothing.

My due date was September 15th. It came and went.

September 16th, a Monday morning, I went in for a checkup. The doctor did another sonogram, again calling the baby 'he' and 'brother'. He decided I needed to be induced and sent me upstairs to the hospital. Scott was at work and I had Hunter (then 2) with me. Not the ideal conditions to have my IV started so I could go into labor. After about 30 minutes of trying to get a hold of someone to come get Hunter, my dad came up and got him and the induction began. Scott came about that same time. That was about noon. Then came the pain, I mean the PAIN! They say you forget once you hold your bundle of joy. I haven't forgotten.

And then at 5:17 p.m. on Monday September 16, 2002...

It's a GIRL!

A what???????

A GIRL!!!!

But you said....

Oh, I always say that no matter what it is.

That is the most shocked I've ever been. I will always remember that feeling of trying to grasp that we had a girl, a beautiful pink baby girl!

Happy Birthday, sweet girl! We love you so very much! You bring light and fun and life to our family.

I think we surprised Ella on Friday at her party almost as much as she surprised us! It was a great party. The kids learned how to make their own pizza and then got to eat it. All of her friends and nearby cousins were there and she seemed to really love every bit of it.

I'm going to try and post a slide show later...