Danielle

Well, I wanted to share about our Danielle and had pictures all over the place. Even though we aren't in our own home right now, for some reason I had a stash of pictures I could scan and that were already in our files. So here goes. I'll try to make it short. But how do you put 24 years into one blog with only a few pictures?

February 22, 1985, 7:25 PM...What a joy to finally have my Danielle. Even though Dan didn't want another "Danny" in the family, I was able to convince him that she should be Danielle...even if people did call her "Dani". I like it. Anyway, what a day. You don't have to read all the details.

The week before I had some Braxton Hicks contractions, which I never had with my first daughter. So, another week and the due date was coming up. I kept looking for it, but nothing. Then Dan and I decided to go for a walk. WHAM!!! We barely got out of the door and I had a contraction that was hard enough to stop and breathe with. We got out the gate and down the walkway for just a short distance and I had another contraction. OWWW!!! So, we headed right back indoors and I called the hospital. I told them what happened and the advice was that I wait at least till an hour was up and then call back if I'm still having contractions. WHILE we were talking, BAM, another one! So, I'm breathing...and breathing...and breathing... The nurse asks if I'm still having a contraction and I can barely say yes, so she said, "maybe you'd better come in." I get in there - they check me - 7cm..."Call the midwife, get things ready, we're having a baby!" Not long after that, this 6 lb. 10 oz., 21" long baby enters the world...total time might have been a little over an hour.

Big sister, Elizabeth, came in and saw her and said, "Baby." Little did she know, this "Baby" was coming home with us.Danielle has been a joy and a challenge - she knows it. But she has a fun and silly side:

Then there was her athletic side - my little Tiger:

Then there was the "sisterly" side - the girls had some rough times during the years, but when Liz was getting married, Danielle realized Liz was going away and at the rehearsal, as Liz was coming down the aisle, Danielle started crying and said, "Take her back!" She does love her big sister.

After graduating from SLO High, she took a couple of years off of school. Then she decided to go to Cuesta for two years and reached a goal she couldn't believe she would. Since high school, she has wanted to live in Oregon and her goal was to go there after her two years at Cuesta. As the time neared, it didn't seem real. Then she realized she did it...she moved to OR and enrolled in the University of Oregon and is continuing school and hopes to finish with a degree in Women's Gender studies with a minor in Psychology in Spring '10. So far she is doing well. She is also working at Starbuck's a few hours a week.

I am so proud of her and her accomplishments, especially trying to get out on her own so far away. If you go back to a blog I wrote awhile back, you know it was hard for me - harder than I thought it would be. I miss her so much, but I know that God is with her and will never leave her. And now that we will be living in LA, she will be able to get to us easier - flying directly to LAX.

Heavenly Father, you do such great things. I thank you so much for Danielle. I thank you that through the years you were there for us as we tried to raise her for your kingdom. I ask that you would continue to give us wisdom for as long as she needs us, even though she is so far away. I pray that you would continue to pursue her and show her how much you love her - so much more than we could ever love her. Protect her and keep her safe. I pray she would look to you for guidance and would draw nearer to you. Thank you for this wonderful gift you have given us and for the comfort of knowing you are always there for her when we can't be. In Jesus' name...Amen.