525, 600 Minutes...

525,600 minutes,
525,000 moments so dear.
525,600 minutes -
how do you measure,
measure a year?
In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee.
In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife.
In 525,600 minutes -
how do you measure a year in the life?

~ RENT - The Musical

Dearest Hailey ~ How DID it get so late so soon?




Another year? Are you kidding me? 525,600 minutes. How do we measure, a year in the life? It seems that just last week Daddy and I brought you home from the hospital. You were so tiny, yet so big, weighing in at 8 pounds, 3 ounces. Four days in the NICU and then off to start our lives together - alone - as a family.

The world's best baby - the greatest sleeper I've ever met. Content to hang out just about anywhere - willing to eat whatever we offered you, well, except apricots - you hated apricots.

At not quite 15 months old - you became big sister extraordinaire...Still doing a darn good job of it I might add. Daily you ask me and/or Daddy for a baby sister - even though you know where babies come from and you tell us all the time that kissing is 'yucky' ~ Yet you are content to hang out with, look after, occassionally boss around...the one little brother you've got. When he's in trouble - you demand that I say sorry to him - he's the first person you ask for in the mornings and the last person you want to see at night. I pray you'll always be best friends...




You are kind, compassionate...passionate.
You love things with all of your heart, and like me, you dislike things with all of your heart as well.

Once a big eater, willing to try anything at least once - you now insist on eating hot dogs, ramen noodles or pancakes. Not necessarily in that order. You love milk, especially chocolate, and could care less if you ever drank a soda as long as you live.

You love to 'collect' things - again, like your mom. Much to Daddy's dismay. I can only imagine what types of things you'll have stored in shoe boxes in your room, or in mine, ten years from now. The package that things come in is just as important to you as the item IN the package itself...

(We're working on it.)


You have a style all your own -




Months on end where you wear dresses and only dresses, including 'evening gowns' in the garden and crushed velvet in July -
Jeans under pettiskirts, red with pink, or vertical strips with horizontal stripes - in different colors.

I love that you march to the beat of your very own drum...

I always knew I wanted to be a Mom. It has been my #1 goal in life. You, my dear sweet Hailey, have helped me to accomplish that goal. It has been the hardest, most rewarding, most satisfying most...most...oh, I don't know - most unbelievable thing ever.

I count my blessings daily that you were born to Daddy and I. That you are our little girl.

I pray over you as you sleep at night (albeit in 10 minute increments that you are actually sleeping) that I will be the mother that you hope for, wish for, dream of, love...
I know I'm not perfect...I just hope that you will love me now and for always ~

Because I love loving you.
Happy Golden Birthday Hailey Elizabeth.

I love you. More than you can ever possibly know...