Chloe's story

We started thinking about having another baby pretty much right after Laney was born. We decided to wait until Laney was about 1 to start trying, because we figured it might take us a couple of months to get pregnant! We started trying in September and I thought that maybe, just maybe I had gotten pregnant that very first month...and the due date would be on Mike's birthday-June 5th! I was a little late, so I decided to take a pregnancy test. It was negative and I started my period a couple of days later...I was extremely sad! Looking back now, I know that was pretty naive of me...there are people who try for years and years and finally have to resort to extreme measures to be parents! We are truly blessed in that area and I do not take that for granted! Anyway, we ended up getting pregnant in November and I was due August 10th...another August baby!! Yikes! I remembered being so miserable the last couple months of pregnancy with Laney. The summer weather here in Missouri is torturous...especially on a pregnant woman! Oh well, I thought...at least we're pregnant! I had another normal, text-book pregnancy and we found out that we were having another girl!! I was really wanting a boy at this point, but again, looking back, I can see God's hand in all of this. Chloe and Laney wouldn't be the best friends that they are now. I'm so happy they have each other!

I started having contractions early in the morning on July 29th, and we went in to the hospital to be checked. My dr. (the very awesome Dr. Lemberger!) new at this point how miserable I was, so she said that she would go ahead and break my water. I was beyond thrilled! Yes, she was coming 12 days early, but I didn't care...I knew she would be okay. After 11 hours of labor (with the epidural wearing off for the last hour) and the most excruciating 20 minutes of pushing (my family in the waiting room could hear me screaming), she was born in all her blonde-headed, blue eyed glory! The first time I saw her I was so shocked. She had blonde hair?? What?? And she was so tiny! She weighed 6lbs. 12oz. and looked NOTHING like Laney! I guess I just figured all of my kids would look alike...wrong! They cleaned her up and the first time I held her, I just couldn't stop looking at her! I was in love!!!! She was here!!









When we were set to go home from the hospital, they checked her biliruben levels and they were slightly elevated, so we had to take her back every day for the next few days to get her blood drawn. The levels weren't going down, so we had to put her on a biliblanket. It's shaped like a paddle with a big hose coming out the end that hooks to the actual machine. We had to keep this paddle-thing right next to her skin as much as possible. It's terribly inconvenient, especially when you're trying to breastfeed and this big, long hose is coming out the end of your baby!!



She was a little bit of a cry baby, but she was so darned cute, we didn't care :) She is definitely your typical middle child! She's very outgoing and extremely creative! She says the funniest things. She loves to be around men!! She adores her daddy and loves wrestling with him! She is a little hard-headed and stubborn, but at times, that can be a good thing. I know she won't let people push her around and she will always stand up for what she believes in! She's very into video games...just like her daddy! She's taking karate right now and she's doing really well...she's a yellow belt! She just started Kindergarten this year and she loves it! Her teacher has yellow hair, just like her. :) This was something she noticed right away when we met her. She's made a few friends that she talks about every once in a while.








I love my Chloe and even though I'm sure she'll be my strong independent girl, I also know that she'll always need me! She's made my life better just by being here!