Katie turns 5!

As of tomorrow, I'll have a 7, 6, 5 & 3 year old. That either makes me terribly stupid or quite ingenious.

At first, having Katie was SO SO SO difficult for me. Maggie hadn't turned 3 yet, nor was she potty trained, so for all intents and purposes I had 3 babies. Nights were essentially a nightmare, as Maggie had night terrors that would wake us up to blood-curdling screams, Brooke was still waking up at least once (probably due to all the screaming going on), and I was up feeding Katie every couple of hours. I honestly don't know how I survived that first year of Katie's life, nor do I know how Mike could've survived me, as sleep deprived as I was. (For those of you who know me, sleep is an essential part of my sanity!)

Thankfully, Maggie grew out of the night terrors as well as the diapers, and Brooke and Katie finally started sleeping through the night so I could too. As arduous as that time had been for me, I truly think it was worth it because now my girls are the best of friends. In contrast to the difficulties that emerged from having to meet the various needs of a newborn, 18 month old and almost 3 year old, their needs now are nearly congruent. They like the same toys, movies, foods (for the most part), and they even have some of the same friends. Heck, Brooke and Katie are even the same size, so they share clothes without fighting over them yet, which is seriously great!

So, I'm going to categorize myself as ingenious for having my girls so close together, even though at first, it seemed very, very stupid. I can only hope that their friendship will last through what will most certainly be a tumultuous teenagership, and develop into the same kind of relationship I now have with my sisters.

As for Katie, who turns 5 tomorrow, I'm so grateful she's a part of our family. Her laugh is absolutely infectious, and her dimple just draws you in to her. She loves to help me do ANYTHING, especially when it comes to cooking or baking. In fact, when she was three, she was obsessed with Rachael Ray and would choose to watch her cooking show over cartoons! She tells the silliest jokes (if you can call them that), and loves to "speak" Spanish. I can't bear to correct her when she calls her eyelashes "ashleyes" because it's just too cute, just like she is. I look forward to watching her continue to grow, and hopefully I won't mess her up too badly along the way! I love you, Katiekins!