Julia Anne

Twelve years ago and miles away on this day in December, my older sister and I woke up to find a note from our parents on the kitchen table. Our mom was 9 months pregnant, and the note said that her water broke in the early morning hours and dad had taken her to the women's center where the baby would be delivered. We still didn't know if it was a girl or boy. I can remember the excitement in the air. Bandy was 14 and a half at the time and I was almost 13. We woke up our younger sister and brother (Kaley was 9 and a half and Chris was 6). Mom's friend came to stay with us in the morning, and Grandma Florence arrived later. The waiting was unbearable. Every time the home phone rang (this was before we had cell phones) I would run to grab it. I think Daddy called a couple times with updates, but it was a little before 2:30pm when our new sibling finally arrived in our world. I think it was my mom's longest labor; all the rest of us kids were born in the early morning and came very quickly. When my dad made the announcement that it was a girl, I couldn't stop smiling and I wanted to go RIGHT NOW to see her. My poor little brother was rather disappointed...

Well, Grandma wanted to take us shopping to buy some pink clothes for our new baby sister, which was great because we had only bought gender-neutral clothes up to this point, but as the hours dragged on, I was getting VERY impatient. I know...me? Impatient?? Hard to believe, right? Ahem. I think it was around 7pm before I got to meet my sister - which I thought was completely unacceptable at the time. I laugh now. I remember walking in the door and catching my first glimpse of her. She was in the incubator. She was soo long; twenty-one inches. And tiny of course; 6lbs 11 oz if I remember correctly. But beautiful. And she was my sister. She was God's answer to my prayers.

Oh. my. word. She was so darn cute...I could hardly stand it. I need to scan in all the pictures I have in albums. Even my brother admitted that she was cute.

 

No one thought she would learn to walk since she had "all those older siblings." But I had her walking around 8 or 9 months, thank you very much. I wanted to make sure my girl wasn't developmentally behind. I laugh now because maybe she was a little too advanced. She was signing and talking very early on and was using huge vocabulary words when she didn't even understand what they meant. Oh the joy she brought into our lives!

 

 

"racing" her oldest cousin

Julia has always been very artistic

 

buried with Christ in baptism...

 

beginner ice skater

 

the next year she was twirling and flying

 



 

 

Now my baby sister is almost as tall as I am and almost weighs as much as I do. We will be wearing the same size soon. Before I know it, she will be a teenager, and then driving. Next will be high school graduation. Okay, I will stop crying now... :)