Introducing Youngest

Exactly 4 years ago today, I had Youngest at home with the help of a midwife. She was a surprise pregnancy and when I figured out the day she was conceived, it was on the very last night in our old house! We were too busy packing and painting and making moving arrangements, plus we had two little ones to care for, to have any fun but we made sure to have one last farewell romp in our old bedroom. Hmm. :o) After moving here, I couldn't stand how the office smelled, to the point where I was ready to gut it out. Andrew couldn't smell anything weird and smart guy, he managed to prevent me from doing anything drastic. I finally figured out I was pregnant when I missed a period *gasp!* Well, good thing we moved to a bigger house then, right?

As with the first two, we wanted another old-fashioned name. Once again, we had no idea what the sex of the baby was, but we still couldn't settle on a boy name. We had several girl names we liked, so we thought maybe it would be a girl. After 3 pushes, the baby was out-- a girl! Meet...


...Sylvia! Today, the birthday girl turns 4!! Happy Birthday Sylvia!

She is such a sweetie, a tender-hearted little girl, who plays well by herself as long as she is within sight of me. A girly-girl, she loves pink, pink, and did I say pink? If she could, she would wear dresses every single day, just like the one she is wearing here. I have to make her put pants on or put on a long-sleeve under it because it's 27 degrees outside!

Here's her birthday menu requests: Pancakes for breakfast; Hot dogs and macaroni and cheese for lunch; sandwiches and potato salad for dinner; strawberry cake with chocolate frosting.


Andrew calls her my shadow. Where I go, she goes. She is always near me and when I go outside, she'll come with me. Even if it's just a quick in-and-out, she wants to come with me. When it's time to pick tomatoes or grapes or something from the garden, she'll always be my helper. Though when it comes to the chickens, she tends to stay in the house-- She doesn't like the rooster because he pecked her before and tried to keep her in line like he does the hens. I tell her she is bigger than he is, but in her eyes, he is the big one. Maybe come Spring, her fear of him will loosen and she'll help me gather eggs.


Her older sisters tend to play together and leave her out sometimes, though we try to stay on top of that and encourage games and other activities that include everyone. When it does happen, she'll play with Baby and if he's napping, she'll play by herself. She imitates her sisters, always trying to sing what Gretchen is singing, or using Evelyn's language or copying her attitude. Evelyn was always starting a sentence with: "The problem is..." even if it had nothing to do with the topic. So little Sylvia was saying that: "Mama, the problem is...I love you!" Always a pause after saying "The problem is..." I would be busy feeding Baby and she is impatiently tapping my arm, which is kind of annoying to a deaf person, and then when I snap "what?!", and this is what I'll see-- Sylvia signing "I love you" to me and then I feel bad for snapping at her.

Such a sweetheart, always giving me hugs and kisses and only wants me to put her to bed at night and always sneaking her way onto my lap when I'm at the computer or when we are watching a movie together. She sits next to me at the table and will not have it any other way.

We love you Sylvia, very, very much! Happy Birthday little one, and may you have many, many more!
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