What a birthday!

My beautiful baby girl is celebrating her 11th birthday today! 

It is hard to believe that is has been 11 years since our lives changed so much. Ki'a is our last child. She came into our lives in a whirlwind of excitement and fear. Her birth story is one for the books (even the doctors said so!). This little 6 pound 5 ounce 19 inch long tiny little thing just about killed me and had a rough start herself. I spent the first 4 days of her life in ICU after my uterus ruptured during her delivery. I didn't get to hold her, or feed her or even have her in the room with me unless someone else was in there with us. It was awful. But once I got my hands on my baby girl that was all forgotten (not really, but you know what I mean).

Now I look back on the past 11 years with tears of joy in my eyes. This little girl changed our lives so much. You take so much for granted when you go through life without any major problems. All it takes is one life-threatening event to make you open your eyes and learn to cherish all the little things.

Halloween 2004. Almost 2

This girl was a force to be reckoned with from the start. She has always been outgoing and opinionated. She wanted things done her way and no one else's. She is our only daughter, the 1st niece, 1st granddaughter, she was (and still is) the PRINCESS.

6th birthday

kindergarten

She is a ham. She will do anything to make you laugh. She is a blonde through and through and we pick on her a lot about it (all in good fun). Some of the things that come out of her mouth are the most air headed things you can imagine.

age 9

She is my social butterfly. She loves making friends and meeting new people. She loves cheering, dancing, gymnastics, singing. She is so creative. She is always making up songs and dances and drawing. 

Her 11th birthday slumber party

Now she is hitting those pre-teen (tween) years and so much is changing. Her looks. Her attitude. Her personality is blooming more every day. 

This year we decided to take her to her very 1st concert for her birthday present. Her and her best friend got to go see Selena Gomez at the First Niagra Center in Buffalo NY.

What an experience that was. She had such a great time. And it is a present she will never forget. 

So on this day, a day that will always remain a wonderful day in our lives, I want to wish my amazing, beautiful, talented daughter a very happy 11th birthday. (and get my self a HUGE bottle of wine to help me get through the next chapter of her life....PUBERTY)