Every Day's A Blessing: Molly Jean

Today my "baby" turned 2 years old. It is unbelievable that two years have flown by since we welcomed our third daughter into the world.

Molly came into the world the perfect third child. Her due date was originally December 26th, and I spent months stressing about having a baby on Christmas with no immediate family close by. I feared the traumatic experience Ava and Jocelyn would have by spending Christmas with some random friend or neighbor while their new baby sister ruined their holiday. As it got closer to her due date, I even realized that the inconvenience wasn't isolated to Christmas itself. Ava had school and dance class, and I didn't want her to miss any of it for fear that missing a Christmas party of some sort would make my 4-year-old resent her sister forever. (In hindsight I know how ridiculous this is, but I was pregnant, and those hormones really do make you nutty.) So I spent my last month of pregnancy telling Molly she had a week window: Ava's last day of school and dance was Friday, December 17th. She needed to wait until after that but before Christmas to be born. As it turned out, I labored most of the day that Friday, having contractions sporadically in the morning and a little more often in the evening. Ava had her fun at school and dance, but as we drove home from the dance studio that night I really had to concentrate through a few contractions, and told Ben when we got home I probably didn't need to be driving anymore. (Oh to have a picture of his face when I said that...) We fed the girls dinner and put them to bed, and about an hour later I thought we should probably head to the hospital. We checked in at 10pm, and at 2:17am December 18th Molly Jean made her grand entrance. She had waited just as long as I had needed her to for me to fully focus on her and cherish the experience of welcoming her into the world.

Now, at 2, she is still very much that accommodating 3rd child. She is forever being dragged to school drop offs and pick ups, dance classes, and other functions for her siblings or parents. And as long as she has her snack cup full of goldfish you won't hear a peep of complaint out of her. She is very patient, for she knows that eventually her turn will come and she will get the attention and love that everyone around her receives as well. She is a very content child - always smiling, laughing, and playing games. She is not a morning person, however; it takes a good hour or two for her shining personality to take over the grump that emerges from her bed every morning. She has the ability to get plenty loud, but for the most part is the most soft spoken of my daughters. She adores her sisters. There was a time a few months back when she would poke at them and get under their skin at any given opportunity. I think she just wanted to get their attention and be included in all their fun. Now it seems she knows she can be a part of the fun just by playing along, and picks fights much less (much to her parents' relief). She is a lover - she randomly runs up to family and friends alike and gives great big hugs for no real reason. She is obsessed with shoes, and is rarely without someone else's shoes on. Her current fetish is her sisters' boots, probably because even though they are ginormous they stay on her feet. Her hair is WAY longer than either of her sisters' were at this age, and she loves sporting her "piggies." She almost always has at least one baby doll in her hand, and is starting to play pretend with our princess dolls and Little People figurines. She is a terrific eater, will try just about anything that's put in front of her, and especially loves her some broccoli (Ben beams every time he sees her eating her veggies).

Each of my children holds a special place in my heart for different reasons. Molly is truly God's gift to me. When I was first pregnant with her, I didn't feel ready to have another baby. She wasn't a part of my timeline. I spent months struggling with and finally accepting that it's not me but God who is in control. And two years later, I cannot imagine a more perfect fit to our family. Molly came to be in our family at just the perfect time, and while I couldn't see it at first, my faith in God brought me around to cherishing this precious gift he gave me. Two years seem to have past in the blink of an eye. Happy Birthday Molly Jean, and here's to celebrating many many more birthdays to come.