Pigs 'n Buttons: A Double Digit Day

My baby girl is 10 today. Ten. Double digits. One decade. How is it just yesterday, my doctor was giving her condolences on Mom’s passing and preparing me that high-stress and grief can bring on early labor? Little did I know back then, as we sailed right by the due date and planned your eviction, that it would be the first of many times I would have to push you out the door, saying “come on! We’re gonna be late! Let’s go!”

Little did I know, when you came out with paper-thin yet crazy sharp fingernails, your face scratched, that I would overcome my fear of cutting your whole, little finger off, and have since clipped nails, at times, while reaching in the backseat without looking.

How unprepared I was to fall in love with you at first sight. In the hospital, the nurses wheeled you away the first night so Daddy and I could rest. I remember waking up in the middle of the night, walking down the long, still hallway to the nursery, and getting buzzed in. “Can I hold her,” I asked. “Of course you can.” There were several babies in little plastic tubs, but over to the side, my sweet little bundle of a cooing blanket swung back and forth in a baby swing. “You may want to get you one of those if you don’t have one…she seems to like that swing,” the nurse told me. We made it about two days at home before running out and buying the best-looking swing we could find as it was the only way you would settle down and rest.

As we drove away from the hospital on our way home, we made it about two blocks when I asked Daddy to pull over and I jumped out and sat in the backseat with you for the duration of the trip. Call me a “helicopter parent” and I’ll wear the badge proudly.

As you grew, we celebrated milestones…first smile, first laugh, crawling, walking, eating people food. As you grew, so did our confidence. We took you to the playground and delighted in your squeals of laughter on the baby swings. We went on a trip and you swam in a hotel pool. We took you to the petri dish known as Chuck E. Cheese. Our first trip to the Zoo, we felt like real parents. Loaded down with a stroller and a diaper bag, snacks and bottles and plenty of extra diapers, we just about forgot you as we headed in from the parking lot. Lucky for us, the playground is right at the entrance. By the time we made it there, it was time for a meal, you swang for a little bit and then it was nap time, so we headed home, having seen zero animals on our first visit.

You went nowhere without your trusty friend, Puppers. At dinner, he was crammed into your highchair beside you. In the car, he shared your car seat. At bedtime, he assumed his place by your pillow. And when you were on the move, whether we were leaving the house for a day of errands or just playing in the living room, he stayed neatly tucked under your arm. Puppers has been spilled on, thrown up on, nibbled by a goat, drooled on, left in shopping carts, and nearly left at countless hotels and grandparents’ homes. He’s flown to Texas and Florida and the Bahamas and, to this day, has his place in your room and in your life.

Although you’ve grown out of breakfast, our bed is still one of your favorite places to hang out.

Through the years, people have asked Daddy and me why we only had one child or if we had plans for more. Sometimes we’d joke that you were perfect so we didn’t want to press our luck with another one. The truth is, we just felt complete after you joined us and never felt like we needed anything, or anyone, more. We (and you) have been blessed by your cousins and are so glad you all are close to one another and live closely, too. They’ve been great buddies through the years.

People have asked whether you're a Daddy's Girl or Mama's Baby. I'm happy to say that you do a terrific job splitting your time equally. What's not equal is the number of photos. :) Guess I need to come out from behind the camera more often.

When asked what you want to be when you grow up, there are usually some rotating professions (Mommy, teacher, singer) but one which always makes the list is veterinarian. You've always had a love of animals and you seem to have a way with almost every one you encounter. Our pets have found a good playmate in you and, in return, offer their undying loyalty and protection.

Before I go any further, I will stop to say it hasn't all been rainbows and unicorns. You've had your moments, for sure, and tried our patience right to the very limit. We sailed through your "twos" and thought, "well, that wasn't so terrible," but then there were rough patches in the "threes," "fours," well, you catch my drift. As you got older, we got a little (emphasis on "little") wiser. We realized how to work schedules around your sleeping and eating timetable. We learned to better recognize warning signs that you were tired, over-stimulated, or on the verge of a meltdown. Occasionally, it would sneak up on us and we'd just hold on to whatever we could grab and ride it out.

At times, I would find myself feeling sorry for you because you've grown up only having three grandparents. It took me a while to become less pessimistic and see a cheerier outlook: you have three grandparents! And they're all pretty awesome. They live nearby, we see them often, and they've all been very involved in your life. How many people get the opportunity to say that?

Through the years, I've had well-intentioned friends comment "it's such a shame Calleigh didn't know your Mom." Au contraire! There is no doubt you know Grandmama. I've done a good job of telling stories and keeping her memory alive, but you have had a special tie that trumped anything I could do. From the time you were very small and could speak, you would talk about "the angels" and one, in particular, who wears a blue dress and has "white" hair. Before you could speak, we'd hear you giggling in your room when you were alone, or looking up and reaching for something invisible to us. As you grew, you were able to describe what you saw more. This picture was one of your first attempts at explaining it to us: