Happy 1st Birthday, Layla!

***WARNING*** Long, sappy Mom post ahead. It might be rambly, too.

Daniel and I always knew we wanted kids. There was always a debate about how many, but we figured we would start with at least one, and see how we all did. When we decided it was time, I was nervous. I had no reason to think we would have any problems, but as many moms and women who want to be moms know, the anxiety that can come with pregnancy and all that surrounds it is ridiculous. We were so so lucky. Pregnant in the first month. A perfectly normal pregnancy with the typical symptoms and such. And a great birth experience. I am so unbelievably grateful for how it all went. It's weird to think how worried I was about everything. God, I am sure, was just laughing and laughing while He handled everything.

One year ago today, I was in the midst of labor. Long, painful, unmedicated, induced labor. I, of course, chose unmedicated. But that's where I was. A long night, a long morning, a long afternoon. I was fine with the contractions. I was fine with the pain. I was even fine with only getting to eat the popsicles that my lovely nurse was sneaking to me. I was not fine, however, with the fact that our tiny little person didn't want to come out. On Monday afternoon (April 9, 2012), after 18 hours of labor, I finally asked for an epidural when I still wasn't making any progress. And two hours later, when she still wasn't on her way out, I was getting worried. I had no problems with a C-section. They exist for exactly such situations, and I trusted our doctor 100%. I was worried about WHY I would need one. She wasn't budging. Not a centimeter. Her heart rate was starting to go up and down, and our doctor had been suggesting surgery for a couple of hours. Was she ok? Was she stuck? Did she have the cord around her somehow? Millions of these questions were flying through my head.

It didn't take long to make the decision to move ahead with surgery. And thank the dear Lord for modern medicine. Less than fifteen minutes later I was in the operating room, and fifteen minutes after that, our precious little lady was born at 5:54pm. She did have the cord around her neck three times. She wasn't ever going to come out on her own. And because of the concern for her inhaling meconium, they tried to keep her from crying until she could be cleaned up, and checked out. The silence was deafening. I couldn't see her. I could just see Daniel running around like a crazy person.

And then she cried. Much relief and many tears. I still couldn't see her, but Daniel was taking pictures and telling me how beautiful she was. We hadn't fully decided on a name, so I kept asking if she looked like a Layla. D got the final say on that, and so there she was. Layla Kathleen Erika Grammatikos. The poor kid won't ever be able to fit her name on anything, but we liked it so she is stuck with it.

And now here I am writing about Layla's first birthday! This year has flown by. Even in the first few months that seemed so hard and long...now they seem like the blink of an eye. It has been the most amazing year. Laughter, tears, sleepless nights, hugs, love, and so much more. I did not know what to expect when this little thing came into our world. But she is so perfect. She is sweet, and funny. She loves to cheer for herself and to find her Papa when she can't see him. She claps and 'raises the roof' when it's bath time. She blows kisses and says 'please', 'thank you', and 'more'. She dances ALL THE TIME, and her booty shaking just kills me. She is so smart, and is a quick learner. (This could be prove to be rough for us as she learns to walk, and takes over the house even more.) She LOVES her grandparents and the rest of the family. She Skypes with D's family every week, and waves and chats with them. She pulls up on everything, and holds on to things so she can walk. I don't think it will be long before she is running around. She loves to wave to everyone, no matter where we are. An extrovert, I think. :) She doesn't say much yet, but she listens and obeys, and understands what I am saying to her. She responds with her sign language, and it's the cutest thing ever.

Daniel and I are closer than we could ever have been without her. I can't imagine only being the two of us, instead of the three of us. I didn't know you love a tiny thing so much, but sure enough, it's amazing.

Zwerg, you are the best thing that ever happened to us! You make our lives so much brighter! You love your Papa so much, and give him the best kisses and pats. And every morning when I come to get you out of bed, we play hide and seek, and you laugh and laugh. It makes my day. We are so thankful that God blessed us with you. I can't wait for this next year when you will learn even more, and be such a fun little person! We love you! Alles Gut zum Gebertstag, Layla!