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Daniel and I found out that we were going to be parents in November of 2003. From this point on, we knew that we were no longer going to be living for ourselves, but rather for our child. While in the womb, Delanie had many adventures, including literal rollercoaster rides (I was unaware that I was pregnant at the time) and an overseas trip to England. In March of 2004, we found out that we were having a little girl. This was a surprise to everyone, since Daniel didn't have any girls in his family ANYWHERE. However, I had always wanted a girl, so I was beyond thrilled. Her name had already been decided - her first name would be Delanie (after our favorite high school teacher's daughter and spelled to resemble my name with the "ie") and her middle name would be Ruth (after Daniel's grandmother who passed away shortly after Delanie was conceived).
My pregnancy was a bit of a rollercoaster ride in itself. When I was about 4 months along, I started having early contractions. I was hospitalized for two days until the contractions could be stopped. Then, only two weeks before my due date, I was hospitalized for three days because my OB was concerned that I had pre-eclampsia. Induction was discussed, but my doctor and I both decided that it would be in mine and the baby's best interest to wait it out. I went past my due date with no signs that labor was going to start on it's own, despite the fact that I was 95% effaced and 2 cm dilated for quite a while, so I was induced on July 15, 2004. After the doctor broke my water, they noticed that there was a significant amount of meconium in it, meaning that Delanie had already had at least one bowel movement in the womb. During the delivery, it was necessary for there to be NICU staff in the room and for Delanie to be taken immediately to a warmer after she was born. After a total 7 hours and 7 minutes of labor, Delanie Ruth Brewer was born at 7:37 PM. She weighed 7 pounds, 2 ounces and was 20 1/2 inches long. She was having a little difficulty breathing at first, but was fine once they got her completely suctioned out. Overall, she was a perfect, healthy newborn and scored a 9 on the APGAR scale.
From the beginning, Delanie has been an exceptional child. She was quite active in the womb and has continued to be a little firecracker ever since. She is a very bright, intuitive child who won't let anyone pull the wool over her eyes. She's also very sensitive and empathetic, moreso than any child I've ever met. She's capable of holding an adult conversation and in many ways, is one of my best friends. She also has an imagination that compares to mine as a child - she's created her own little world around her, full of goblins, trolls, spies, and imaginary friends.
Delanie loves all types of animals, enjoys dancing and singing along to favorite music, and could practically live outside if we let her. She is a typical girl in that loves to shop, especially for clothes, and has fun choosing funky outfits each day with tights, hats, and scarves. She's the first kid I've met that actually enjoys getting clothes as gifts. She does, however, have that adventurous tomboy side as well. She is an amazing climber and loves to play outside and dig in the dirt for worms. She's also taken an interest in the "darker" side of things - anything spooky, really. Any time she sees roadkill, she begs me to stop and let her look at it.
She also has what I consider to be a pretty eclectic palate for a child her age. Her favorite snack is hummus, particularly the horseradish kind, and she'll choose veggies and fruit to eat over any of the other food groups. Daniel and I have always let her try the different things that we eat, so she's a big fan of asian, indian, and mexican food. She can also tolerate fairly spicy foods, but that might have something to do with the fact that she snatched a jalapeno pepper from her Daddy's plate at a very young age.
Some of Delanie's favorite things to do are taking pictures (she inherited my old camera), playing her violin, writing stories, exploring, riding her bike, helping out in the kitchen, doing arts and crafts, and playing with our pets. If you ask Delanie what she wants to be when she grows up, she says that she wants to be a photographer and a guinea pig trainer.
The shows she enjoys watching are Invader Zim, The Haunting Hour, MAD, Adventure Time, Regular Show, and The Amazing World of Gumball. Her favorite movies are Zombieland, Coraline, Matilda, The Addams Family, Monster House, and most of Tim Burton's movies.
Above all else, Delanie LOVES to read. She could sit on the floor for hours with her books, elaborating on the stories and making up her own. She loves for us to read with her, which is daily activity in our home. Her favorite book series are Goosebumps, Harry Potter, Ramona, Dork Diaries, Rainbow Magic, Scream Street, and anything that teaches her about animals or nature.
Delanie is approaching the end of her second grade year and is excelling academically. We recently found out that she's been accepted into the REACH (gifted and talented) program for the upcoming school year... the first year that she is eligible. We are very proud of her and are confident that she will continue to do well. She's growing up into a very awesome young lady.