My sweet daughter is 16 today!

In working on my blog last night, I wondered why this blog wasn't posted... I had selected save post instead of publish post! So goes my life... anyway my blog to my sweet 16 year old! Mwah...




Wow, how can this be? I asked Frank this morning. It's just not possible for this to be happening in our life. Sixteen years ago this morning, we fell deeply in love with a perfect and beautiful little baby girl that we named Kendra Nicole Johnson.

She began her journey into the world exactly how Kendra does everything - in her own time! My due date was September 12 and it came and went with no baby. On the morning of September 14, my water broke and the contractions weren't far behind. Off to the hospital we went, scared and excited. We were so young and naive. However, I had dreamed of this moment my whole life that I could remember, I was going to be a mommy! We were checked into the hospital and settled in for what we thought would be a few hours maybe 10 tops... we were so wrong! Twenty - three hours, an epidural, and little sleep later my precious baby girl arrived. She was perfect! Petite, pink and pouting she was the most beautiful baby I had ever seen and I was in love. It was there in that delivery room that I remember really falling in love with Frank all over again and understanding what that statement even meant.
We've been through so much together, a near death experience, weddings, funerals, trips to the ER, new siblings, broken hearts, laughter that makes your face and stomach ache, trips to NY, a great boyfriend of over a year and a half, and more personal moments that are for this mom to hold close and treasure them for myself. All in all, she is my pride and joy. She is my first born and one of my closest friends. She knows me well as I do her. When I woke up this morning and realized that my time with her here with me under our roof is a mer two years left, I choked up and found myself in sorrow and fear, just like I did that day 16 years ago when she stopped breathing. Quickly I am reminded that God saved her that day and will continue to save her day to day. So instead of focusing on what is to come, I am focused on the here and now and loving that my baby girl still loves to hug me and love me, watch TV with her mom and sit and chat about stuff. These are the moments I treasure and I am looking forward to more of these to come!
Happy 16th birthday baby girl! You changed my life for the better sixteen years ago. My life and those of our family are better because you are in it and you fill us all with love. Thank you for allowing me to be your mommy, I am so blessed! I love you so very much!