Dear Julip,

A beautiful rose in the rose gardens at Birmingham Botanical Gardens...whif whif, sigh! So lovely!

My sunbeam!

The Mother's Day cards I made for more than just my mothers!

Today is mother’s day. This is the fist time I am a part of mother’s day in this way. Usually, I’m the one giving the gift. But today, it’s you giving the gift to me! Don’t worry, I know you’re too small to buy me anything. But I wouldn’t want that anyway. You’ve given me enough; so much in such a short time! I never would have guessed I’d be a mother so soon. But I can’t tell you how happy it makes me that it is this soon. God definitely has a way of making His plans perfect, doesn’t He? You’ll understand one day. You came in a special way. A way we surely weren’t expecting…but there couldn’t have been a better way. We have learned so much!

Sweet sweet Dustin enjoying his morning tea, reading, and having Julip time on the porch!

The sun was too bright and I refused to open! Dustin must be superman!

Much better. The roses are nearly the size of Julip's head!

We have really enjoyed watching you grow. I remember the first time I started noticing my tummy was bigger. I didn’t think it was really you. Not until our first sonogram when we learned it would be a her! Your daddy and I just cried in silence. My favorite kind of cries are the ones where you smile at the same time. You do that to us a lot. Your daddy knew you were a girl, and I was so happy he was right! At that point it became real; you were really on your way! I remember the first time I felt you move. What a strange first feeling…then you kept moving and dancing or something like that. I never complained. I was always just happy you were living. At night when we were going to sleep I’d always let you kick your daddy while I was hugging on his back…he liked that. Then a few months passed and it was late in the night. I felt very sick. I don’t blame you though...You were just ready to come out! It was time! After one last night of good sleep, I sent your daddy off to work not knowing you were coming so soon. But he knew you were. Shortly after he got there, he turned around and came back home to get us, you still inside me. And to the hospital we went. The day had come! It was weird waiting for you. You were working so hard, and so was I. The nurse said it’s time to push. And I knew I could do it, only because your daddy was there. I remember the first time I saw you. You weren’t completely out yet, but I could see you in the mirror. Maybe that’s why it took no time for mommy to push you out! I could finally see a little piece of you and I wanted to hold you in my arms! And I did. Twenty minutes later, you, my sweet baby, were born. We finally got to meet you! And once again your daddy and I just cried in silence. With those same smiles you always make us have. We were so thankful for our covenant child. All we could do was thank God for our little Julip, the one with ten fingers and ten toes. The one who starred at her daddy as if she knew she belonged to his heart. What an incredible feeling. What an incredible accomplishment. What a glorious day. What a sweet moment you gave your mommy and daddy in that delivery room. You made us parents. You made me a mom.

Little Julip talking to her BoPop after dinner. She loves him!

I was so happy to catch this sweet moment!

Now it's Mimi's turn! Julip loves her too!

Bobo loves walking her around and showing her nature! See her cute nike kicks? Those were her daddy's!

When we first found out about you, we celebrated. We went to Julep’s in Jackson and treated ourselves to a fine lunch. Jokingly, your daddy said, “Let’s name her Julep”. And with a small letter change, that became your name. Our little Julip, because we were so happy we celebrated your life. Since we first set eyes on you, we’ve watched you grow so much. You were so tiny and fragile at first. Now you can grip with the strength that could hold your own weight. You used to eat every other hour or so but your tummy has grown. Now you can go for much longer. Thank you for that. I remember squeezing my eyes so tightly shut and bearing down my teeth every time you’d eat, holding my breath till the pain went away. Now it’s just sweet nursing, no pain…just you and me time. I’m so happy you like to eat. I’m so happy you’re healthy. You still make your mommy and daddy tear up, always with smiles on our faces. I just want to thank you for living. Thank you for making us parents. Thank you for making me a mom.

We really enjoy having Whitney around! She's great!

The two people I love the most..just hanging out!

Resting at the gardens! Me and Dustin, Mimi and Julip, and Eric and Whitney! Bobo was taking the picture! (He took most of these pictures!)

Love,

Momma