Happy Birthday Aubrey!

Ten years and three days after Jennifer's birth, our youngest child, Aubrey was born. Chris was twelve at that time, Justin nearly 9, Natalie about to turn 7, and Jon was 3. She was a welcome addition to our family but it had been a long nine months. The seventh pregnancy (one was stillborn) and my age seemed to have taken a toll and it was a very difficult delivery. Thankfully she came through it OK even with a "brow" presentation, meaning her head was extended back so rather than the chin tucking under to ease the descent, she kind of got stuck with the larger part of the head trying to come through. I apologize if this is more than anyone wants to know but it was kind of foreshadowing for what was to come since Aubrey has always needed to do things her own way and did not like to fit in any mold.

Aubrey was a very fussy baby and all the older kids in the neighborhood, as well as her siblings, wanted to hold her. It was frustrating for them because she just cried no matter what they did. If she happened to be sleeping or being calm, I wouldn't let them hold her because we didn't want to rock this rare boat! By her first birthday she had calmed down and we were able to all enjoy her more. Jenn was always very close to her and honestly believed it was for her Aubrey was born. We named her from the "Bread" song by the same name and occasionally she encounters people old enough to appreciate that. Interestingly enough her favorite celebrity's name is similar, Audrey (Hepburn).

This is how Aubrey looked in her late teens/early twenties - always a phone in her hand

Aubrey recentlySteve, Aubrey and boys last Christmas
Aubrey and her boys, Asher and Joshua (summer 07)
Aubrey and her brother, Jon
Me, Aubrey, Asher, Josh
Aubrey and Asher
This winter picture reminds me of Tonya in Dr. Zhivago

Aubrey is beautiful, talented, creative (a lot like her sister, actually) and she loves being around people. She gets very anxious when she is alone and it has been a challenge for her to live away from everyone she knows. I know this has caused her to mature in many ways too, since she decided to enter adulthood way too soon and had to do some catch-up.

We are all very proud of her and so glad she is part of our family. We miss her and her little family since they live in Kansas and we look forward to their return to Utah soon. We are grateful that Steve was never deployed (knock on wood) and though he has been bored to tears in his job, he has been preserved!

You can see more on her own blog, Just a Detour (on my blogroll to the right).