My baby girl is 8!

My sweet little Emmy is 8! I can't believe it's been 8 years. Looking back, I feel like I was pregnant w/ Emmy yesterday. I remember the day we found out I was pregnant, my first appointments, the first time I heard her heartbeat, when the doctor laid her on my chest after she was born. It's been 8 years...the best 8 years. My life is so rich and filled with love. I could have never imagined the love I feel.

Emmy at 8 is Emmy. She is so full of life as she always has been. She is loud, exciting, warm, outgoing, happy and lives each and every moment to its fullest. If I've ever seen a person "full of life," it's Emmy. Her eyes twinkle, sparkle, light up. If you've heard her laugh, you remember it. Her laugh is the best- so true, real, contagious.

Emmy loves rockstars, Hannah Montana, Selena Gomez, Demi Lavato. She's not into boy bands (yet, thank God), but loves her girl rock stars. She loves playing soccer, putting on shows at home, and is enjoying circus. Her favorite tv show is, of course, Hannah Montana. She likes playing Wizards 101 on the computer, though she isn't allowed to do so that often (much to her dismay). When Emmy grows up, she wants to be a doctor and rockstar or a Montessori teacher and rockstar :)

Emmy is quick to love, quick to laugh, quick to cry, and quick to forget. One of her best traits is her ability to move on. I hold on, dwell, and can't let go. Emmy is teaching me the joy of forgetting, truly forgiving, and spending energy positively. When Emmy's down, she isn't down for too long before she's made or found joy in her life and she's laughing again. Emmy is so wonderfully positive.

Emmy always has a grand plan for things- she's always organizing something or someone. She's got big dreams and executes them. The world is in Emmy's hands, really. She's a kid in control of her life, she drives the energy around her, and is the greatest source of contagious joy.

I looked at Emmy this evening and saw her little red forehead birthmark (angel's kiss). I'm so thankful for that birthmark and hope that I'll always be able to see it (she has no idea where it is, even). It takes me back to the night she was born and I feel so secure with my little baby. In an instant, I had a place in this world. My baby and I could take on the world together :)

Emmy was born and I immediately felt whole, that missing part of me was found. I was 23 years old when my baby was born and I'm so happy Shad and I decided to start our family when we did. Emmy keeps me sane, drives me insane :), but most of all, whether I'm sane or feeling insane, Emmy forces me to LIVE! You can't be around Emmy and not feel alive, be happy and feel loved. Emmy, at 8, is an amazing, absolutely amazing human being. She has the purest soul, the greatest laugh, the happiest eyes, and most contagious wonderful personality. I thank God for my baby girl, who at 8, turned my world right side up and each and every day, makes me, and everyone around her, feel incredibly alive. I am so thankful for my Blessings. Happy 8th Birthday to my beautiful Emmy Lou!