Eight years ago today my sweet KB was born.

Actually, eight years ago she wasn’t exactly born yet…. I believe at this precise hour eight years ago I had already been sent home once from the hospital and was moaning and groaning at home alone, writhing in agony and cursing the name of Dr. Flanagan because he had sent me home from the hospital where I might find blessed relief from the agony of labor pains.

He’s not one to want to be inconvenienced early in the morning for someone else’s baby, by gosh….

So, eight years, give or take 12 hours, ago, this little bundle was born, and my world was turned upside down.

I’ll be honest…. I wasn’t sure what to do with her.

Babies weren’t really my thing. I never played with dolls… never gushed over newborns…. never really understood the appeal of spitup and diapers.

Because I had no mom-instincts (or didn’t think I did), I read a lot of books. And probably made her life a little more difficult because of my compulsion to rigidly follow all the baby-training rules spelled out in my stack of books.
But somehow we’ve survived…. in spite of my total lack of parenting ability. And somehow, she loves me anyway. Somehow, we have an unbreakable mother-daughter bond that God knew I needed … probably more than she did.

The past eight years have been difficult and challenging and fun and joyful and thrilling and amazing.

Being a mom has been the greatest joy of my life.

And also the most heartbreaking thing I’ve ever done.

I just wonder how eight years have flown by so fast? Eight years of Bubba the ladybug…

Eight years of playing animals…

…and passionate love for animals of all kinds, but especially horses…

…not to mention bugs…
…and eight years of playing Animal Doctor…

…and lots and lots of dress up.

Its been a fun eight years of ‘firsts’… first steps, first lost teeth, first days of school, …

I’m so proud of how my girl has turned out, and love the person she’s becoming. I thank God every day for letting me be her mom. I can’t wait to see what the next eight years will hold….

Except for the driving lessons. That, I’m not looking forward to…