A Whole Hand

We started Abby's big day with homemade cinnamon rolls (homemade = Pillsbury cooked at home) complete with the red plate, a candle, and a "Happy Birthday" serenade.

From breakfast, we got dressed and headed outdoors to grab a couple of "FIVE" shots.
My budding photographer asked if she could please take a picture of me to put on the blog. Considering I looked like I was fresh home from dumpster-diving, I was understandably "thrilled" with her request, but I let her have a go at it. Black-and-white is quite forgiving on dark circles and a lack of makeup, so here it is, Abby. Your photo...

As much as I held out for my friend, Michelle, to have her third baby on my birthday, it just didn't happen. In fact, Lily Kate seemed quite content to flip around in Michelle's belly for as long as she could. In the last week, she was head-down, then breached, and back to head-down for her delivery yesterday.

It was a sweet time for us as we visited them in the hospital today (on both Michelle and Abby's birthdays). As I sat there holding that tiny seven pound darling, I couldn't help but think back to exactly five years earlier when I sat in the same place holding another pumpkin. That pumpkin's a little bigger these days...

If our kiddos were excited about their baby brother before, after cuddling with this gorgeous munchkin, they're uber-pumped to have him home now.
Since Josh only has about an hour in between work and class on Thursday nights, we let Abby pick somewhere to meet him for her birthday dinner. Just as we expected, she chose Jason's Deli (it's got to be the free ice cream), so we had a fun Daddy dinner where Abby got to open a couple of presents. And have ice cream. Jason's isn't my very favorite place in Birmingham, but I'll take anything over Captain D's.

Happy Whole-Hand Birthday, Abby!!!