Katlyn Mae
The morning of October 16th, I waited for the two pink lines to appear, I could see them coming through and I couldn’t help but squeal with excitement. “Chris,” I whispered softly as I nudged his arm to wake him up. “Happy Birthday.” “Hmm…?” He replied, still half asleep.
“I’m pregnant.” I said, which caused him to lift his head a little in confusion, then saying “What?” I repeated the news and a smile appeared across his face as he rested his head back on the pillow. “Go tell Gramma.”
I then went out into the kitchen, test in hand, to reveal the answer to what we wondered. As Laura and I hugged, laughed and cried in excitement, she burnt her breakfast. And so the beginning of our journey as parents began.
At 4 1/2 months along, we felt Katlyn kick for the first time. After that she kicked quite often but most prominently when Daddy entered the room, when Grampa Gurney preached the gospel and when we praised God. She has loved all three from that moment on.
At 5 1/2 months, we found out we were having a daughter. We had hoped up to that point that the baby would be a boy, but at the moment we heard the words “It’s a girl,” the tears of only pure joy came. As Chris and I watched her on the screen, her legs up over her head, holding them at the ankles near her forehead, we knew she would be a delight to enjoy. For the following months, we watched as Katlyn and I both grew, each day making the excitement and anticipation stronger. We couldn’t wait to meet her!
In May of ’04 we were blessed with a baby shower. Nearly 3 dozen people came and not one thing that was given to us was duplicated. Katlyn was given enough clothes to take her into her second year, along with a play pen, a beautiful bassinet, toys, and much more. The Lord truly knows how to provide.
June 10 came and all throughout the day I experienced quite a few contractions. I kept busy, not realizing that in only a few hours, we would meet our baby girl. As I kept track of how far apart the contractions were, my mother in-law and I talked about all sorts of things and Chris watched TV, also not realizing that later that evening we would be holding our daughter.
Finally, the contractions were too much to bear, so we decided to go to the hospital. As soon as the decision was made, the contractions were right on top of each other: as I put on my shoes; as I got into the car; leaving the driveway and on they went.
Only three hours later, and we were introduced to our little angel, Katlyn Mae. She weighed in at 7 lbs, 5 oz and measured 20 inches long. She had soft blond hair and a little raspberry on her nose. All I could say was “Oh my goodness, you’re here!” as Daddy said hi and caressed her little fingers.
For the next few months we watched and enjoyed her first smiles, first laugh, and first bath. She loved her baths! She was so much fun! We watched as each new transition came in her life, eating solids – and loving it, her first wave on her first Christmas, bouncing in our laps, giving kisses and blowing raspberries, her first tooth and drinking from a sippy cup.
We watched as she crawled all around – only backwards at first – as she pulled herself to a stand, and clapped her hands together to the beat. Her growling in excitement and her first word, UP! What an amazing experience it’s been to watch her grow into a little girl and into her own personality.
She’ll shake your hand to say good morning. She has an empathetic heart, so if you are crying you can be sure you’ll get a hug. She prays over her meals and over those she cares about, and she’ll share her beloved duck pillow and blanket with those of you who are sick. She is almost always smiling and always makes you feel loved.
She adores her Gramma & Grampa and all their pets, she recognizes Grammy and Grampy’s house and squeals with delight when she sees them, she is best friends and worst enemies with her cousin Sammy, and is she in love with her Aunties! Her Uncle Kyle is fun to play with, and her Uncle Corey fun to fly with, while Uncle Doodle always has ice cream to share! She loves to hang out with her cousins, and watch movies.
She can say her ABC’s and count to 20 with little help. She loves to learn sign language and to play the animal sounds game. If she is quiet sometimes you can catch her off in a corner reading a book, or praying! She loves her little sister and brother and loves that Karyn is finally old enough to return her hugs and kisses and can’t wait until Christopher II can play.
She has captured the hearts of many and stolen us forever. She truly is a blessing from heaven.
