Today she is 9.

Today my little girl turns 9. I cannot believe it has been 9 years since she entered my life. I always rolled my eyes when parents would tell me how fast I was growing. To me, I was growing very slowly and I couldn't wait to be big. I watch my kids grow now and I want to make time stop. I blink and another year goes by.

I am going to start something new. Since I was not with it enough when my older four were babies to journal, I am going to start now. My kids always ask me to tell them about when they were babies and what they were like when they were little. They have asked more often since Kaylee was born, so I am going to start writing to them. Today is Dana's birthday so I will start with her.

Dear Dana,

You are nine years old today!!! That is 108 months old! I remember the day that you were born. Mercifully you chose to come two weeks early! You were already a very cooperative child and I thank you. You were a surprise to us. I hadn't planned on having another child until Breena was 3 or so. She was 15 months old when you were born. You were so pretty. I remember thinking that when they placed you in my arms the first time. You had this tiny little nose and very petite features. It was obvious that you were a little girl. No one mistook you for a boy. You were so sweet and good natured. You even slept through the night the first night you were home with me!
We had two names picked out for you. Dana Whitney and Gillian Lhotze. Your Dad had a thing for wanting to name each of you after mountains. When I held you, you were so little, the name Gillian was just way too big for you. Dana fit better. Uncle Jared had climbed Mt Whitney with Brent just a few months before you were born. He left for Nicaragua on a mission just 5 days before you came. It was fitting that you be named after that mountain.
You were always so smiley! I loved to snuggle with you and listen to you tell me "stories". You would coo and gurgle and giggle. You learned to walk when you were about 10 months old. Which was very helpful because by that time I was pregnant with your little brother Drake. You all were in such a hurry to get here!
You were and are so different from Breena. When she wanted to climb and be overly active, you preferred to be calm and quiet. I could sit you down with a Oriental trading company magazine and you would look through it for hours. It was sometime easy to over look you because you were so calm and undemanding. I hope you never felt unimportant. You are and always have been so important to me. I worry sometimes that you get lost in the shuffle.
You are me in so many ways. I see a lot of my characteristics in you. We tease you sometimes about your sense of humor, or lack there of. I know what it is like to always look at things from a literal perspective and miss the joke entirely. You are so much like me. You think on a deep level and you are able to apply actual life experiences. You learn from life around you and you worry about people. I hope you never loose that ability. It is so important and you have learned it at such a young age.
I know that the divorce hurt you and I know that you still don't entirely understand why it happened. I hope someday you will be able to understand, but I think you will need to live a little longer before you can really understand why Brent and I couldn't stay together. You were always in tune to what was happening in our home. You asked me several times, months before we split, if we were going to get divorced. I wish I could go back and prepare you a little better for what was to come, but I didn't even know at that time where things were headed.
You are a joy to me Dana! You are one of the best things to have ever happened to me. Thank you for letting me be your Mother. I am sorry that I fall short sometimes, but I try so hard to be the kind of Mother you need. You make me a better person.




I love you my sweet Dewey!
Happy Birthday!

Love, Mom