It's almost impossible for me to believe that exactly one year ago today, we found out we were expecting, just one day before my 39th birthday! We had just gotten home from a quick birthday trip to Franklin, and I was in bed, tired from the fun of the day. All of a sudden, this wave of nausea, unlike any I had ever experienced, washed over me. Oh. My. God. I knew in an instant that I was pregnant! We had tried unsuccessfully since Bailey was young to have another baby and it simply never happened. If you need proof that God has a sense of humor, here it is: I gave away all of my maternity clothes (after an 8 year hiatus in my closet) several months earlier; I had said in the fall that if we didn't get pregnant by my 39th birthday (which I KNEW we wouldn't), I wanted to have the endometrial ablation procedure because my periods are so horrific; and I had sold or given away just about every other baby item we owned (Chris held out and insisted we keep Bailey's bed and changing table - so glad he did!!). I should've known something was up because that winter, I was cold all the time. Those of you who know me know that I am RARELY cold and, in fact, I am very hot-natured, even in the winter. 
So, the next day, January 25, 2010, Chris went to the drug store to buy pregnancy tests because I was simply too freaked out to do it, and we found out in short order that we were definitely expecting! Oh, what the past year has brought us. In some ways, it has flown by, but in so many other ways, it seems to have crawled by at a snail's pace. I was so shocked (a major understatement!) to be pregnant and that feeling of awe stayed with me right up until the day Morgan was born! Every milestone of my pregnancy was so special - Morgan began kicking at 20 weeks and did so consistently till she was born. Even now, she is quite a kicker, moving those strong little legs almost constantly! Since I had a 4 cm fibroid, my doctor recommended monthly ultrasounds, and we looked forward every month to seeing how our precious girl was growing and developing. Ah, yes, we were having a GIRL!! I was beyond thrilled!! To be so old and have a baby was to be challenging enough and I just didn't know what I'd do with a BOY!! I can still remember my later grandmother telling me stories while she bathed me when I was just a little thing about how glad she was that I was girl and how dirty and stinky boys were!! Those stories have stuck with me all these years!! So, God was giving us a girl, something we already had experience with, and I was thrilled!
After barely surviving the hottest summer on record, and I am not exaggerating, Miss Morgan was born by C-section on Thursday, September 16, 2010, weighing 8 lbs. 3 oz. and measuring 20.75 inches long. She is a precious baby, who laughs and smiles, coos and wiggles, and is happy most of the time. She sleeps well at night and is completely in love with her big sister.
And now, on the eve of my 40th birthday, exactly one year since we learned we were pregnant, I have so much to be thankful for and so much on which to reflect.
See you soon!!
