Happy 3rd Birthday Rachel!!

It seems like just yesterday I was sitting around, waiting to have contractions so I could go to the hospital and meet my little girl. Maybe it feels so familiar because I am only 5 weeks away from my due date with the new baby. Three years ago, on June 22nd, at 11:45 p.m., my water broke and we went to the hospital knowing that we would soon get to meet our daughter Rachel. Almost exactly 13 hours later, we welcomed Rachel Louise Wood into the world.

I didn't know what to expect from having a baby. There were certainly a lot of people offering advice and wisdom. There were definitely sleepless nights. There was a big learning curve. But more than anything, there has been a LOT of laughter and a ton of love.
Rachel is such a joy to be around. Her smile lights up any room. And as she has grown up, her personality has developed into such a hoot! She has a great sense of humor, she is a social butterfly, she is intelligent, and she is sweet. I am not saying the kid is perfect (we have recently hit a phase where listening has become an issue), but she amazes me each day with how great she is.

For her 3rd birthday, we took the day off and went to the Zoo. We were lucky to have Duane come with us, and I could really tell that Rachel enjoyed it more when he was there to share experiences with. We saw monkeys, elephants, a tiger, some lions, and a various other animals. But I think the biggest hit of the day was when we let Rachel ride the carousel. She had been on one at Cedar Point last summer, but this time, she seemed to enjoy it even more.

We managed to escape the Zoo without getting rained on, and we headed home to enjoy the rest of our day. We got pizza for dinner and a Dairy Queen Reeses Blizzard Cake for dessert. Rachel enjoyed both, but I think she really just liked blowing out her candles. She asked for 4 candles, and when she blew them out the first time, she requested that we relight them and let her blow them out again, for good measure. (Hey, it was her birthday...)

And her birthday wasn't complete until her cousin and best friend Caden paid her a visit. I think that just topped off the whole day.

This morning, we went for her 3-year check-up (which for some reason required a urine sample), and she checked out remarkably. They really enjoy her at Dr. Dan's office. She is advanced in her speech and right on track developmentally. She is also advanced socially. She came in around 35th percentile for weight and 23rd percentile for height. Previously she had been in high percentiles for height, so I guess her genes caught up with her! Sorry kid!

Then we went for her 3-year pictures. She couldn't have been better. She was super excited -- I couldn't get her to stop running around, jumping and smiling. It seems like last time we were there she wouldn't smile at all!

I managed to limit myself in the picture selection, since I figure we will be getting more pictures done in about 6-7 weeks, but it is still amazing to see how much she has changed throughout these 3 years!