Happy Birthday 1st Cayleigh-Grace! - Part 1

Wow. I am still not sure how I feel about today... I knew it was coming but it was just too hard to actually believe, but when I awoke this morning I knew it had finally come. One year ago today this precious baby girl was placed into my arms, this little princess that I carried for exactly 40 weeks and birthed in 2.5 hours of labor and 30 minutes of pushing made her grand debut. If you would like to read about how I birthed this 10lb 7.8oz baby girl into the water birthing tub at my local birthing center you can read about it here. Today is turning out to be a very hard day for me emotionally... I honestly wished that I could turn back time and experience the labor and delivery just to have the chance to do this past year all over again... what I wouldn't give to be able to turn back time...

Everyone has their "favorite times" when it comes to raising children. For my husband and I that favorite time is from pregnancy to year 1. I knew it was going to be hard on me to see September 3rd roll around but I didn't think it would be as hard as it really is. Don't get me wrong I am so happy that it is her birthday and I am so thankful and blessed to have a wonderful, healthy, and sweet spirited daughter, but to me once they turn one it is the end of a chapter in their lives, and to me that chapter is the sweetest chapter of all... I have already been on the phone in tears will my Mom today. Neither of the boys 1st birthdays hit me like Cayleigh-Grace's has, and I do not know if it is because I have no desire to have anymore children at this point (a feeling I have NEVER had before) or because I am scared that once she grows I will never get to experience all that goes on with her needing and depending on me like she does now. I am so excited to see and experience all of the wonderful milestones that will be coming in the next few years, it is just so hard to let go of all the amazing thing that happen during the baby phase, because in my opinion it is the shortest and sweetest phase of all.

~ I promise that Part 2 will be the happier side to her birthday and all about our little birthday girl!