Today, my baby girl turns 25. She's a pill baby! BCPs caused me to have severe migraines, so I quit taking them. My doctor told me that I "could handle a lower dose pill". I took it faithfully for three months. Never missed a dose. I got pregnant anyway! I was afraid that Catie would have two heads and webbed feet! When she was born, she was beautiful! She had a square little pink head, pink fuzz for hair, pink arms and legs, she was a little pink girl!
She had colic for three months! We drove every back road in Mecklenburg, Cabarrus, and Union county! Dave would sit on the floor by her crib and pat her on the back so she would sleep. When he dozed off, she would start to fuss and he would start patting again! I finally discovered that a Zip-Loc bag filled with warm water and wrapped in a flat cloth diaper was magic! I would put that on my lap and lay Catie over it. As long at it stayed warm and I rubbed her back, she stayed quiet. Dave and I learned that it is possible to sleep sitting up!
As she grew, Catie became a prissy girl. She didn't like to wear pants. It was too hard to crawl in a dress. She started walking at nine months! She was a good mommy to her dolls, she did everything that I did with baby brother Elliott. If I sat in my rocking chair with my feet on a stool to feed Elliott, she sat in her little rocker with her feet on her little stool to feed her baby. If I changed Elliott's diaper, she changed her baby's diaper. She even explained to Dave: "I always put gasoline on my baby's butt when it's red!".
When she was four, she wrote Elliott's name on the kitchen wall in purple crayon. when she tried to tattle on Elliott ("Mama look, Elliott wrote his name on the wall!"), I explained to her that the writing was too high on the wall for Elliott to reach, Elliott can't write, and she was still holding the crayon! She put the crayon behind her back and said "Well, I sure didn't do it!".
Catie loved school. She decided in kindergarten that she wanted to be a teacher when she grew up. She worked hard for every grade that she got. She played clarinet, flute, and baritone in the band. In high school, she was the only girl in the low brass section. While she was a good student, she was not always a conformist. In fifth grade, she refused to sit with her feet on the floor. She sat on her feet. Her teacher cut her footprints out of construction paper and taped them to the floor to remind her where her feet belonged. She quit the band when her high school band teacher threw a metronome at her. She managed to graduate with honors anyway!
She excelled in college, too. This week, she will graduate from Marshall University. She will be working with WV birth-three evaluating at risk children for any interventions they might need.
She was a beautiful bride. She and Ben were married on a beautiful October afternoon. When they recited the vows that they had written, there wasn't a dry eye in the place. The reception was the best party we've ever had. Ben fits right in with our unusual family! He can hold his own with Catie, too.
I am thankful that Catie was my baby. She has brought more joy than sadness to my life. She has grown from a prissy little girl into a confident young woman. She makes her Mama proud!
Happy birthday, little Cupcake!
Feels Just Like It Should
13 years ago
