Early birthday love

August 21, 1996: life was pretty normal. August 22, 1996: everything changed. Because that was the day Amy Elizabeth entered the world. And nothing has been the same since.

While Amy was by far our best sleeper (eight hours a night at four weeks – no joke), she was also, by far, our loudest baby. She had a wonderful, bold laugh. She also had an incredible scream. When she was unhappy, everyone knew it. Like the whole neighborhood. And surrounding towns. And possibly Alabama.

Our first daughter has taken us on quite a ride these past 19 years. She has brought great joy to our lives. We’ve also cried buckets of tears over her. The move to Michigan was hard on the girl, and the years immediately following our relocation were really, really rough. We prayed more for her then than we ever had before. I am so grateful for the many friends the Lord put in our lives during that time – they prayed for her when we felt prayed out. They loved her and us. And it’s especially sweet that we can look back now and thank the Lord for bringing us all through that difficult time.

Next week we’ll take her back to school for her sophomore year. I didn’t like it when we dropped her off last year and I won’t like it any better this year. But the guy I sleep with keeps telling me that I have to be a Big Girl and do it. Well, he can make me drive her up there and haul all her stuff up four flights of stairs in an un-air-conditioned dormitory, but he can’t make me like it. Because each step up and down those dorm steps is one step closer to the end of a wonderful summer with our sweet first girl. And I’m just not ready for it to end. I never knew how much fun I could have with her – I certainly never dreamed it when she was
yelling at the top of her baby lungs...

Happy, happy birthday, Amy-girl. We love you lots!

M. Noe Photography