Happy Birthday, Jessica!

As I Watched You Grow (adapted)

© Kay Theese

Do you know how much you mean to me,
Now that you've grown into what God wants you to be?
You came from within, from just beneath my heart
It's there you'll always be though your own life you've started.
You grew so fast it sent me in a whirl,
With misty eyes I ask, Where's my little girl?
I know sometimes to you I seemed harsh and so unfair,
But now you see, I taught you well because I care.
The next few years will so quickly fly,
With laughter and joy, mixed with a few tears to cry.
As you continue your growth in womanhood, this fact you must know,
You'll always be my source of pride, no matter where you go.
You must stand up tall and proud, within you feel no fear,
For all you dreams and goals, sit before you very near.
With God's love in your heart and the world by its tail,
You'll always be my winner, and victory will prevail.
For you this poem was written, with help from above,
To tell you in a rhythm of your Mother's heartfelt Love!

Have a WONDERFUL birthday, my sweet Jessica!

You were due on December 27, 1979.  You were so big the doctor thought you were a boy.  And because you were so big, I had to take one of those disgusting glucose tests.

 

We had a boy's name decided on for a long time.  Finally a couple weeks before you were born, we decided on your name as we came home from church.

I felt great through the whole pregnancy and I worked at Paine, Webber, Jackson and Curtis stock brokers all the way up til you were born.

Wednesday morning, January 2, 1980 I woke up earlier than usual at 6 a.m. and felt "different."  I got up to use the bathroom and had diarrhea.  As I sat there, the contractions began, or at least that is what I thought must be happening.  I called mom and talked to her to see what I should do.  Should I wait for awhile or did it seem that maybe I was beginning labor?  She told me to call the doctor.  The contractions were very strong and 5 minutes apart.  The doctor, George Mueller, told me I had better get to the hospital.

I called mom and told her and then I woke Tim up.  He was very nervous but reacted quickly!  My suitcase was already packed.  We left for the hospital.

I would say it was around 8 when we got to the hospital.  I got checked in, got into a lovely hospital gown and told the nurse I felt like I had to use the bathroom.  It was diarrhea again.  I sat there for a LONG time.  Finally the nurse knocked on the door and told me that I was "going to have that baby in the toilet if I didn't hurry up!"

After examining me I was taken immediately to delivery.  Tim went to the waiting room and mom went into the delivery room with me.  She had taken the LaMaze classes with me.  The most uncomfortable thing was having the fetal monitor wrapped snuggly around my belly, especially during a contraction!

The doctor broke my water and then the pressure REALLY began!  I remember it feeling soooooooo good when he finally let me begin pushing!  I pushed so hard that several of the blood vessels in my face and eyes had burst!  At one point the doctor said, if you don't open your eyes, you are going to miss this birth!  But, I couldn't hold my eyes open and push at the same time!

At last the doctor had to give me an Episiotomy because your head was so big and I was beginning to tear.  Voila!  You came pretty quickly after that!  You entered the world at 9:12 a.m. on Wednesday, January 2, 1980 and weighed 10 lb. 7 1/2 oz.  

Becoming a mother for the first time was just so amazing!  Praise the Lord for your healthy delivery!  Mom left so Tim could come in.  He couldn't believe how fast you came, especially since one of the guys in the waiting room with him had been there 18 hours already!  Thank You, Lord, for an easy and fast and natural birth with no complications and a healthy baby girl!  When grandpa Brandenburg came into the room to see you, he cried!  And that made me cry and we talked about the amazing miracle of childbirth!

 

You were such a good baby.  I nursed you until you were about 6 months.  It only took one time for you to bite down with your new upper and lower baby teeth and I decided that was it!  Time for a sippy cup!  :D  You loved to sleep.  You loved to eat.  And you loved to suck your right thumb.

Here are some pictures of your first year of life and a calendar of January, 1980.

 

Dad stopped by after work several times to see you since he worked at the Greater Cincinnati Airport which was just up over the hill from where we lived on River Road in Hebron, KY.  You were about a week old here.  He was so proud of you!

This was taken in the hospital when you were 2 days old.  I remember your dad making the comment that he didn't realize your eyes would be open so soon.  I told him that you were not a puppy!

Love this precious photo of you sleeping in your swing on a warm day outside.  I always packed towels around you to help you sit up.  But you also used them to sleep on!  You were probably around 4 months old.

You are 8 months old in this photo.  You loved sitting in your toy box and playing.  I love that sweet little grin on your face!

 You were about 8 months old before you began crawling!

I wanted you to check out that car seat!  Sure wouldn't pass the safety measures of today's car seats!  You were 6 months old and we were on a trip to see my Uncle Bobby and Aunt Tootsie and family in Minnesota.

I started feeding you cereal pretty early.  You were about 4 months old here.  You LOVED that nasty paste and Oatmeal was your favorite!

This picture was taken at Christmas at grandma and grandpa Brandenburg's in Union, KY.

This is gram and grandpa Ken at Christmas.

You did not even try to walk until you were about a year old!  Here are your first steps!

You are headed towards your daddy.

And, here is your hospital picture.  You were probably a day old when they took this picture.

 The January calendar.

This is you and your cousin, Joyce as we visited in Minnesota.  She was about 2 weeks younger than you.  You were a big girl, but you look tiny compared to her!

Mom and dad were awfully proud of their first grandbaby!  This was taken in Minnesota, too.

As was this one.  You couldn't get many photos of mom.  But she was OK having a picture taken with you!  :D

Look at this sweet face!  You were probably about 4 months old here.

And this has always been one of my favorite pictures of you, our little princess!  :D  You were about 4 months old here.

Here is one proud daddy!  You were 4 days old.  Mom and dad came home with your daddy from church to see you.

This was taken in December at mom's house.  You loved looking at books!

When we brought you home from the hospital, we couldn't even get up the drive way for the snow and ice!  Your dad carried you up the hill and Grandpa Day came down and helped me walk up the hill.  

Here's the swing you had.  Loved the canopy on it!  You were about 4 months here.

You were about 4 months old here.  I used to prop pillows around you and lay the lounge chair back so you wouldn't fall out.  You always sucked your thumb when you were getting tired.

Here you are about 7 months old sucking your thumb with a fly or something on your head!  We put medicine on your thumb and wrapped it in gauze to try to get you to stop sucking your thumb after you ended up with blisters all over your thumb.  You kept getting the gauze off but eventually you did stop sucking your thumb.  You are about 8 months old here.

This was taken in Minnesota.  My uncle and aunt lived on a lake and had a boat dock.

And one last photo of you when you were about 4 months old.  I propped you up in this little seat with towels stuffed all around you.  You loved sitting in it.

 

This is your birthday card this year!  I hope you enjoyed looking at the pictures once again!  I love you so very much and love the woman you have turned into.  I thank God for you and enjoy watching what He is doing in your life!  XOXO