Love at First Sight (My Little Girl is Now One!)

    Exactly a year and two days ago, I went into labour with my third baby. As we already had two little boys, we were finally going to answer the question soon that we had been asked for months.  People couldn't help but ask, "So you tried for a third to get a girl, huh?" Or "So, are you hoping this one's a girl?" We just wanted a third baby, not at all needing that "girl" and we honestly answered, " We just hope the baby's healthy". But as the contractions strengthened and I knew I'd meet the baby soon, I can't say that it didn't cross my mind that I might gain a female ally in our male heavy family. But I was expecting a third boy, because everyone was saying that statistically a boy was more likely, and I was carrying like it was a boy, and all sorts of nonsense. Also there hadn't been a "Morgan" girl born for generations, so could it really happen this time?

    The labour progressed, the baby was finally born, and the assistant doctor, his first time assisting a birth, and so nervous about getting everything right, pronounced " It's a boy!" We weren't at all surprised. Then Josh and I did a classic double take. We looked again, looked at each other, looked back again at the baby and exclaimed " It's a girl!" In the assistant's haste, he had gotten it wrong!

   I held her in my arms, she went straight for her first nurse, and we bonded instantly in that legendary way. In a way that no one could really understand unless they've been through it. It brings tears to my eyes just to write about it. Love at first sight.

   We've had so many adventures together in this first year, including a trip to England together. We get along more like friends already than just mother and daughter and she continually surprises me with her bright, shining personality, her humour and intense love of life.

   We had a little birthday party for her on the 8th, her birthday, up north here on Paradise Hill with her Oma and Opa and my step-brother and his wife. I made impromptu decorations with paper
and string and built her a barnwood doll bed from scratch in the shop, complete with mattress and pillow from fabric I had scrounged and using a needle and thread instead of a machine.

  Josh baked an amazing white cake that we topped with whipped cream and raspberries frozen from mom's summer garden. Isla cracked us up by doing her crazy nose-crinkling-dimpling-eye-squinting smile every time a camera was aimed her way. She had a great time, and we couldn't help but enjoy it with her. What a lovely way to celebrate her first year on earth with us.

Had to show us her serious side just once.

Something to Make ( 10-15 minutes)
Birthday pendants and heart string


Need: 3 pages of colourful construction paper, scissors, tape, yarn or string, stapler, pencil/chopstick/stick


Make: 


1)For large pendants, cut 3 circles as large as the paper, for smaller, cut as small as you like.


2)Cut strips all around the circle towards the centre, taking care not to cut them off.

3)Take each completed cut circle and pinch in the middle and twist until you have a shape that you like and staple or tape it to hold the shape. Then gently bend chunks of the strips to make a crazier looking ball if you like.

4)Tape shapes to three long strings tied to the stick. Wrap the yarn around the string at the top to make different lengths until it looks right to you. Then tape the stick to the ceiling.

5)For the heart string, cut out small hearts from the remaining scraps of paper and staple them to a length of string long enough to stretch across a window.