Happy Birthday, Kenna!

Kenna is 9 today! My little tiny baby girl is growing up.
Pictures are from the surprise birthday party thrown by her aunt Andrea and Aunt Melissa with her crazy and fun little cousins.

9 cute stories about Kenna...

1. At her 2 week appointment, the nurse measured Kenna's head 3 times to make sure that her (GIANT) reading was correct. When the doctor came in, he said, "That can't be right," and measured it AGAIN only to discover that it was indeed a very large head. (HELLO, why did he think I was sitting so gingerly?!) A lady at church was slightly more delicate on the topic. She rubbed Kenna's head and remarked, "Biiig brain..." She was right! Kenna is a SMARTIE PANTS. I love to watch her crank through her homework, read at the speed of light, and do all things computer. She is amazingly bright.

2. Kenna didn't talk well until quite late. Instead she used, with completely correct intonation, the "word" nuh-dutz to communicate. One day she saw a spider and alerted me to the emergency situation. I took care of the problem with a small share of screaming and grossing out. She recounted the entire story to my little sister who was living with us with a combination of gestures (eency-weency motions) and "nuh-dutz". Marina understood the whole thing!

3. This isn't a one-time story but often when I leave the kids alone to run an errand, I will come home and find that Kenna has involved Alec in some sort of project to keep him entertained while I'm away. They play school, build blanket tents, read books, make pictures for me, etc. She is a great big sister.

4. When Kenna was born, Todd came to the hospital to meet her. I could hear him yelling all the way down the hall, "I have a baby sister! I have a baby sister!" She is a laugher at Todd's crazy jokes, a great "atta boy" giver, and even helps him with computer-y stuff sometimes. She is a great little sister!

5. Kenna opened her birthday card from her grandparents in Peru to find a most cherished gift...MONEY. She squealed with delight and in the same breath said, "I love how nice they are to me. I'm going to write them a thank you note right now!" Kenna is a grateful girl. I have stacks of notes and cards from her. She is a good example to me.

6. Kenna recently opted for a darling new haircut and donated the 10+ chopped inches to Locks of Love. This is typical of Kenna's generous, sensitive, loving spirit. She is a giver.

7. Kenna is the original blogger in our family and she taught me all I know on the subject. (Her blog is private.) She posts cute graphics she likes, stories she writes, crazy Alec quotes, school reports, and family updates. She is great.

8. Kenna's labor and delivery was kind of rotten. She came the morning of my comprehensive examinations for my Master's Degree. I lost too much amniotic fluid too fast and had to be pumped full of some crazy stuff that Kenna sputtered up for days. I was exhausted by the time I had to push and that wasn't an easy project. (See story number 1.) Right after the doctor announced that we had a girl, Kenna quit breathing. He said, "Oh--she went floppy on me. Get those guys in here." Floppy?! Is that a technical term, Doc? She was fine but yikes.

9. The first time the nurse brought Kenna to me to be fed, her eyes were wide open. I couldn't help myself from gasping, "Oh my goodness. She is so beautiful." I've felt that same way a millions times since.

I love you, Kenna. You are so special to me.