A Decade of the Bean

Jillian finally turned 10 last week. Seems like she's been 10 forever. Now I can legally leave her home alone, not that she wants me to. And she has to learn to change diapers, not that she wants to. We measured her yesterday and she is 4 ft. 10 inches. Only 6 more inches to grow until she passes me up. It's bound to happen. Her shoe size is a 5 1/2 or 6 right now. She is going to be tall.

My daughter made a dramatic entrance into the world (via forceps -- ouch!). She weighed 6 pounds 8 ounces and didn't take to eating well, dropping down to 5 pounds 10 ounces. Once we finally figured the eating and sleeping routines out (rookie mistakes), we all got along swimmingly. Jillian has been a delightful child. I am glad to have her as my helper and friend. Although she has her moments (don't we all?), she is quite perceptive and willing to do as she's asked. She is a wonderful artist and an avid reader. Sports aren't really her thing, but she enjoys playing and being outdoors. She can be oh-so-silly; she does this strange bouncing walk-like-an-Egyptian thing that burns loads of calories. That must be why she's so skinny. Her slim fit pants fall off of her if they are not cinched way up. You can guess which parent she takes after in that department. I am glad she hasn't discovered boys yet (as objects of interest and flirtation). When she does, heaven help me! I hope the height discourages them, because she is quite pretty. It will be so fun to watch Jillian mature into a young woman. She can do anything she decides to do, but she is sometimes timid and fears making mistakes. We have great talks and I hope she continues to trust me. I love her so much.

Being a parent for a decade has made me a bit nostalgic and reflective. This has been my job longer than any other. I value it and want to be good at it. I think I am. I have mellowed so much since Jillian was born. The little things don't bother me nearly as much. I'm able to go with the flow and keep my cool a lot more. I'm grateful for that. I have confidence in my ability to be a good parent. I don't have all the answers, but I do know a lot more than I did on that morning 10 years ago when Jillian was born three weeks early. I wasn't even prepared for her! I had to send Kyle to Wal-mart with a long list of things like receiving blankets and burp cloths. I don't think I'd even had a baby shower. Somehow, it all worked out. And now I get to see Baby Jillian all over again in Baby Kate. They look so much alike. I guess I've come full circle. And I have so much more to look forward to in the years to come. Sometimes, when everyone needs me and things are hectic, I wish there was someone else in the house to answer to the name "Mom." But mostly I love to hear their little voices calling me, trusting me, needing me. I am grateful to be the mother of Jillian Kay, Hayden Kyle, Kara Jane, and Kate Michelle. I know how lucky I am.

The Bean through the years (well, the years since we got a digital camera).

She's somewhere in between 1 and 2 here. Our friends took this photo on their digital camera before we had ours. I know I could scan them in, but I am too lazy. The next photos start with her 3rd birthday and progress up to her 10th. I see a bit of Kara in her too!

Next post: details on the best party ever!