Evan is ONE

Evan is celebrating her first birthday today. I am both delighted and heartbroken. Delighted because I am enjoying seeing her grow and change every single day. I am heartbroken because my baby is changing every day and she's no longer a baby.

I knew I was pregnant with Evan long before a pregnancy test told me I was. I don't remember the exact number of tests I took before I got a positive result, but I think it was close to ten. Cooper was 14 months old at the time. I know my family thought we were crazy to have our kids so close together, but I wanted for my kids something that I never had - a sibling close to my age. My brother and sister are 7 and 11 years older than me. There's a similar age difference between Blake and his brother and sister.

I gave Blake a high five when we did Evan's ultrasound and found out we were having a girl. It took some convincing to get Blake to name her Evan, but after a while, it just sounded right. Now, I couldn't imagine another name.

I had a c-section, and when she was delivered, she came out screaming and grabbed the suction tube. She was so beautiful, so much hair, so bright-eyed and alert. I am excited to see how beautiful she will grow to be on the inside and the kind of person she will become. Who will she be friends with? Where will she go to college? What will be her hobbies? Who will she marry?

My wish for my baby girl on her birthday - a long, happy life. That's all any of us can wish for.