Happy Birthday Athena!!!

Today is Athena's birthday! I'm so happy to have her in our home and have the opportunity to raise her as my child. On this day 9 years ago I got up really early in the morning and headed to Mountain View Hospital to be induced. My due date was November 25th, but I was 5 days late. It was absolute torture for me! Especially because that day was Thanksgiving and when I walked in to the relatives house for our Thanksgiving day I was huge and miserable. Everyone kept on asking when I was due and I had to admit that I was due that day and was now running into overtime. Yep. Miserable.

So, back to November 30, 1999 - at the hospital I was started on pitocin at 8 am and started feeling contractions around 10 am. I seem to remember getting an epidural around noon. Then Jeremy and I popped a video in and watched a movie until the nurses checked me and told me I'd be pushing soon. At around 4 pm I started pushing and Athena was born at 4:20 pm. Thinking back on the whole experience, there really wasn't much drama at all and it was rather nice. I got the epidural, it worked, I had time to enjoy a movie. Yes, the pushing and actual HAVING her really hurt, but nothing out of the ordinary. So, that's Athena's birth story. Not bad, huh?

I found a few old pictures of her on the computer to show how big she has grown. :)

This is when Athena was one and we lived in our townhome. She loved to knock down the towers I'd build for her.
Here Jeremy and I are with Athena going sledding. This is when she didn't have to share her parents yet!

Athena with her most treasured possession when she was little. His name is Bear. She never let him out of her sight.

I found Athena sneaking into some food. She looks like she got caught.

Here is Athena today! Today she turned 9 years old!! Time has gone so quickly and it really doesn't seem like we have had her for 9 whole years. She seems to be growing up so much and making the transition from kid to pre-teen. I really enjoy the fact that she is able to understand reason and logic a little more and is taking on more responsibilities.

Today was a good day for Athena and I really hope she felt special all day long. We went to church this morning. All afternoon was spent with Jeremy and I taking turns going to choir or meetings, and then preparing for her little family party this evening. Athena spent the afternoon playing. She got lots of time on the Nintendo DS and also played in her room with Samantha.

For her birthday dinner both Grandmas and Grandpas came over. Athena chose everything that was creamy. She picked cream of chicken/cream cheese chicken over rice and cream corn. I made some cheesy drop biscuits to go with the meal. Then for dessert she wanted homemade cookies 'n cream ice cream. It turned out good and we all got full.

Then we had her open presents. She was so excited for this part of the day! She received cards from her grandparents, earrings and barrettes from Jeremy and I, and a gift certificate to Build-a-Bear from Grandma Lynda. It's nice that she can read now. She sat and read both her cards and I didn't have to do a darn thing! :)

There was one thing she wanted in particular, a FurReal Kitty. She has been itching to get this gift and we have visited the kitty several times in the store. During last week I went to our Walmart to purchase her kitty and when I got there, there were none in sight! I came home and called the Springville Walmart to see if they had any. I sat on the phone with them for about 1/2 hour while I got transferred from the service desk, to Electronics, to Produce, then back to Electronics. FINALLY, after all of that, I got to the bottom of it and was told that yes, they had FurReal Kitty in stock. It was on my workout night, so after working out I drove to Springville to get the cat even though it was late. I did go in and buy it and the whole way through the store the cat kept meowing in my cart. Then it meowed all the way home. I put it in my closet and it meowed in there. So we finally put the cat downstairs in the storage room to wait for her birthday to arrive.

Yesterday Jeremy and I took the kids to Toys R Us to look around for gift ideas. Athena went to where the FurReal Kitty was stocked and realized that they were all sold out. She was CRUSHED. She thought we were going to the store to purchase her birthday gifts. I didn't know she was so put out by that. A few minutes later I looked over at her in the store and she was crying. I talked to her and realized the problem she saw, that she wasn't going to get her Kitty because they were all sold out and we didn't buy it in time. I couldn't tell her that I already got her one, so instead I told her that I knew a lot of different things she wanted for her birthday and that whatever I chose to get for her, I knew she would love it and not to worry about it. I also told her that I went to our Walmart and they were sold out too, but not to worry, I'd get her something else that she would love just as much. She started poking around the store looking for other options. I felt so bad for her! It's so hard to understand surprises and waiting for things when you are little!

Today, when I was wrapping her gifts, I wrapped the Kitty I bought at Walmart and it wouldn't stop meowing at me through the box. I couldn't bring it out with the other gifts because she would hear it, so I hid it under my bed. She opened all her other gifts and I asked her if she was happy with what she got. She said she liked all her gifts and seemed pleased, but not bursting with joy. I then went to my room and came back with the box. Her eyes got 3 times bigger than normal and she just burst into a smile that practically went all the way around her head! Athena ripped the paper off so fast and couldn't stop smiling the rest of the night. :) I'm glad I drove to Walmart late. It was worth it.

Alexandra and Nathan just HAD to try climbing in the box after we got the Kitty out.

Nathan looks cute, all packaged up and ready to be bought!

After presents we had our homemade ice cream for dessert. It was tasty! I guess Athena really is getting older. She picked homemade ice cream instead of having me decorate a traditional birthday cake because she said she thought this was yummier. I'm sure she is right about that. Little kids don't care about the taste, they want the pretty cake. She is thinking practical now!

After dessert, and for the rest of the night, Athena played with and admired her new FurReal Kitty.

Happy Birthday Athena!!! I love you!