Seven.

Once upon a time, I was desperately grateful to God for my three beautiful babies that arrived on the scene in one amazing bundle!! Life was full. Our days were busy. And I was blessed beyond my wildest imaginings.

And yet. And yet....I was hungry for another baby. I absolutely ached with the longing to have another baby. When I discovered we were expecting I was so thrilled and shocked and scared and so thrilled.  Did I say thrilled? 

At birth...wearing her Huey, Dewey and Louie shirt in honor of her "big kids" who we called that from the day we learned there were THREE!

I must have said she was a gift a million times or more -- it was evident I said it a lot, when at 4 a stranger asked Little Red her name and she promptly replied, "I'm Cate. I'm a gift."

With her special Terry Bear -- a teddy made from one of my beloved Daddy's dress shirts! (Oh he would have told her she was a gift as well!)

I was not alone in exclaiming her giftedness -- her big kids took one look at her and fell in love. She has been cooed over, held and protected with all their might from the moment she arrived!

With her big kids.

Her Daddy thinks she hung the moon. When the doctor handed her to him in the delivery room she immediately babbled at him as if she knew he was her's and was ready to talk over the problems of the world. And that was all it took -- she wrapped him tightly around her fingers that morning and has never looked back!

And lest you think she is spoiled -- well, she is absolutely -- but I must tell you that from her smallest days she has been taking care of all of us around her! She was barely two when she climbed down from her high chair, climbed up on the wheels of Benjamin's wheelchair and wiped the ice cream off his chin. Then she just as calmly climbed back into her high chair and continued eating.

And tomorrow, tomorrow we celebrate this gift. Tomorrow she will be seven. Seven.

I am so grateful for her little life -- for the gift that is wrapped up in her sweet little red-headed self.

Grateful to watch her play soccer, swim and do the whole theater thing that she loves so well.

Grateful to be the Mom watching her grow and learn and become the amazing girl she is!

Grateful that seven years ago, God gave us her.

Happy birthday, my darling Cate. I love you more than you can possibly understand.

You are a gift.