My amazing Avalon Joy

She is my third child. My second girl. And she is the middle of our three girls. She is a big sister AND a little sister. For someone so young, she holds many roles.

It was a day in mid March 2006. I was sooooo sleepy, and I took a nap. I mean, unusually tired. But I had a 2 year old and a baby, so who wouldn't be exhausted? I dreamt I was having a little girl and that we were to name her Avalon Grace.

I'm not saying I know what it feels like to be Mary (you know, Mary mother of Jesus), but honestly I think that name was not my own doing. It felt special and, I don't know, a little Biblical. ;) I was pregnant at the time, but just didn't know it. And I'm convinced that God gave us that name. A week later I discovered I was expecting - and I was so excited! My sister was pregnant too, and it was fun to share this with my best friend! (one of them)

We did have a girl (obviously), but Patrick didn't like the name Grace. (whoa there bud, hope God understands.... just kidding... ) :) So we named her Avalon Joy. It means Heaven's Joy. And that she is.
I had a second daughter, which meant that Vivianne could grow up with a sister.
Having a sister of my own, I wanted my daughter to experience that. Sure.... we had our fights, but mostly I remember an amazing childhood/teen years of being super close and 'glued at the hip'. Sharing clothes, fighting over fingernail polish... ahhhh, the memories.

We are big on name meanings, and have named all our kids intentionally. (I mean, hers was given to me, but it still is awesome) She really is my joy from heaven. She in just five short years has made my world immensely better. She is athletic, girlie, spunky, feisty, princess-y, smart, FUNNY, and adorable.

And she was in a hurry to get here. She was my only baby that wasn't late. In fact, she was 10 days early. The night I went into labor there was a terrible ice storm in the city. The kind where they say if you don't have to go out - don't. Well... we kinda had to go out.
The brakes on the car were frozen, literally, so Patrick drove around the block a few times while I labored in the garage. (He was trying to warm the brakes up so they'd actually work - which is a good thing) We had the freakiest drive to the hospital. Whoa. Being in labor in a car is bad enough. Driving on sheets of ice is not fun. Combine the two together and add an element of speeding 'rushing', and you are in for the ride of your life.

We had her just four hours after arriving at the hospital. Which is super fast compared to the days of agony the other children put me through. In fact, when the nurses, said, "let's try a push sweetheart, just to see if you can do it." They immediately yelled stop. (I'm a good pusher... heehee) Avalon was making an appearance in this world - without the doctor in the room. The doctor flew in and as she was suiting up everyone was telling me "don't push! Don't push!" The doctor caught Avalon just as she sat down in front of me.

Then the screaming began. Aww the baby is here. Wait. The other kids weren't so loud. Were they??? Ouch. Make it stop.

It was at that minute, I thought, "You know, I have two little kids at home. I need my rest. I've done this before. She will be just fine in the hospital nursery. I'll let them keep her for the night."

That didn't last long. They brought her back. Yes, you heard that right. They brought her back to my hospital room, back from the nursery. They said they couldn't keep her, and that she'd have to stay with us, because "she was disturbing all the other babies".

Talk about making an entrance!!

For the rest of her life, I believe she will be a mover and a shaker, because that's who she's been from the very moment she arrived on this earth. Watch out world! Avalon Joy could 'disturb' your world too - and may it be in the very best of ways!