The last of the single digits

Today is Gracie's 9th birthday.  As of next year, all of my children will be in the double digits and I will feel so old!  I don't know why, but nine still feels little.
Gracie was born in Henderson, Nevada on the first day of summer.  She was a few days over-due, which just shows she was quite stubborn from the very beginning.  In my 8th month of pregnancy, I was going 4 wheeling, running, eating strange foods that were supposed to induce labor, etc.  Nothing worked of course. I finally had a doctor's appointment on my due date.  He said I would just have to wait a while longer.  I burst into tears and made quite a spectacle of myself.  I told him my first baby was 8 lbs 2oz and I received a 4th degree tear during delivery.  My second baby, which came 10 days early was 8 lbs 3oz and I had to get a big episiotomy.  I cried that if he let me go over-due that I was probably going to rip in half.  Luckily, after he measured me and determined that the baby was probably already over 8 lbs, he had mercy on my crazy soul and called to hospital to schedule an induction.  They could not fit me in for 3 more days, but at least there was an end in sight.
I went to the hospital the evening of the 20th.  The staff began the process, inserting IV's, inserting gel packs to soften my cervix, etc.  By the next morning, I was progressing far enough along that they decided to break my water.  Then I quit progressing.  Soon they started me on "the pit" (pitossin).  After a short while, Gracie came.  When she decided to come, she came quickly.  She was born upside down and had a "true knot" in her umbilical cord.  The doctor looked at the knot and said, "You just gave birth to a miracle".  Although the knot was tight, it had never gotten tight enough to cut off her food or oxygen supply.  We felt very blessed.

Gracie has been a blessing in our lives ever since.  She is happy.  She is loving.  She is social.  She is feisty.  She is fun.  She is smart (too smart sometimes).  She is obedient.  She is stubborn.  She is aware.  She is opinionated.  She is athletic.  She is toothless.  She is cute.  She is spiritual.  She is skinny.  She is compassionate.  She is teased (relentlessly by her brothers).  She is tall.  She is sensitive.  She is independent.  She is talkative.  She is artistic.  She is expensive.  She is helpful.  She is focused.  She is AMAZING.  We are not sure what we would do without her.

We had her birthday party at Sand Hollow Aquatic Center again this year.  That was what she asked to do, and I happily obliged.  It is an easy party.  This year Russ and Grant were there to help me.  Last year all of the boys were on a scout camp out and I was really stressed doing it alone.  This year we had 12 of her friends come to her party, so I was happy to have the additional help and support from Russ and Grant.

Happy 9th Birthday Gracie!