Happy Birthday Baby Girl!

For the record, I call all of my girls "baby girl." 

But this one....really is my baby.

And she is a whole, entire decade old.

You know that means two entire hands full of fingers and thumbs. 

Right? 

Here she is in a little "pet" talk before her game.....on her birthday.

Yes she has on big glasses with big dangly, disco-ball earrings.

In case you were wondering. 

Let me tell you about my baby girl, if I may.....

She was to be a scheduled c-section when she was born.
Thanks to her HUGE brother and sisters.

And she was a big baby girl.
And she let me know she was coming
Whether or not she was "in the books" or not.....
...
Thankfully, she was.....
And SHE decided that SHE was going to enter the world
on exactly
the day
that the "appointment book" said she was.

Which for this mama means.......
THANK YOU
For  not making me labor for too long
For your entry into this world. 

Danielle
is named after her
GREAT uncle Dan
who shares the same birth date as she does
Her aunt Megan
whose middle name is 'danielle'
and me.
my middle name is Renae....the same is her middle name. 

"danielle renae"

Her nickname is: Tookie.

Which is totally the fault of her brothers and sisters.
Who would come up to her as a baby and tickle her tummy....
.....
....and instead of saying
"tickle tickle tickle"
would say
"tookie tookie tookie"

every
single
time.

Which is how she got the nickname that she loves to hate.

but mostly loves.

Here is another story that she loves for me to share with her about when she was born......

.....
At the time of her birth, we were remodeling our house. 
So her "room" was in "my room"
which was actually big brother Nathan's room. 

Because we were remodeling, Nathan slept in the living room and Tookie slept in a teeeeny tinny baby bed right next to me in Nathan's room

Except.

Mama held her close
When she was born
And we BOTH
slept
All night long

Because whenever she would stir.....
....
I would whisper.....

it's okay baby girl.  mama is here.  shhhhh.  mama loves you.
mama is here.

And guess what......

I say the same thing now.  A decade later.  And it still works. 

I don't know if it will always work....to help her fall asleep.

BUT

It will always be true.

Mama's here.
And
Mama loves you.
Always.