The thought of Bailee turning 16 has weighed on me HEAVILY. Since her last birthday, I have thought "Wow, next year at this time she will be 16". For months I have stressed about "how we would properly commemorate this event?" For weeks, I worked on a movie of photos to give her and my heart was happy reliving all the sweet memories, while it ached for time that had passed too quickly. Days were spent in wonder of how we got to this day in a "blink". When all was said and done .. .. .. our baby turned 16 and quite honestly she's pretty much the same girl she's always been. Don't get me wrong, the sheer fact that she is already 16 is a huge deal to me, but it's funny how we can obsess so much about a number and make ourselves a little crazy:)
I remember so clearly her birth day and being so overwhelmed and scared.to.death! It is really true that nobody can prepare you for parenthood, add in some serious complications, and you find yourself really fumbling. One thing is for sure, I was introduced to a LOVE that I had never experienced before.
Bailee was tricky and picky. There was so much for us to learn as new parents in addition to the stressful demands of having a preemie. She was pretty patient with us and let us find our way. It took us a few months to feel like we weren't a complete disaster with the whole baby thing.
Pretty soon we were parents of a precocious little toddler. While she may have been a "difficult" baby, she transformed into a parents dream as a toddler. So much fun!!
She had the nerve to just keep growing up on us
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| always such a thoughtful little gal |
As hard as it has been to come to grips with my little bug being 16, I am overflowing with pride at the young lady she has grown into. She makes us proud to be her parents everyday! She gives us (almost) no trouble, and is a great example for her little sisters to look to:) So while I am sad that time with her being little has passed, I am so excited to see where this 16 year old's journey takes her!
We love you the most bug;)
Looks like you did a good job of celebrating the big day! Happy Birthday Bailee!
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