My plan had been to have two children close together and then wait about 10 years and have two more close together. So, when Hunter was barely 4 and Haley Rae was barely 2, I was completely surprised that baby #3 was on the way. When I told Willard, he asked me what Momar thought, assuming I had already told her. I said, "I'm not going to tell her about this one". The next day, he called and asked me again what she said. I said, "I told you... I' m not telling her. She's going to kill me". A few minutes later, she called and said, "Willard told me to call you. He said you have something to tell me?". I said, "Ummm, no? I don't know what he's talking about." I did eventually break it to her, and while she might not have jumped for joy immediately, she actually warmed up to the idea before me. It didn't take long for us to both be excited though. How can you not be excited about a new baby???
Karlie Suzanne Garnett was born on Good Friday of 1997. She wasn't due until April 15, but decided to make appearance almost 3 weeks early. She weighed 9 pounds and 1 ounce, so no telling how big she would have been if she'd stayed in there. When we got to the hospital that morning, me and Willard were still trying to pick a name. Nothing was jumping out at us. I knew I wanted to name her after my side of the family because Hunter and Haley were named after Willard's side. It wasn't until after she was born that I decided on Karlie. Hunter wasn't able to say my dad's name clearly, so Papa Charlie sounded like "Papa Karlie". And that's how she became Karlie Suzanne.
There is no doubt that Karlie is the most compassionate person in our family. You hear the phrase "she wouldn't kill a fly"... well, that's literally the truth for Karlie. If she sees an ant in the sunroom, she gets a dustpan and catches it, then puts it outside. If I hit a bird while driving, she nearly melts down. She has a special affinity for old people and homeless people. If she sees an elderly person putting out their own garbage, or working in their garden, she will BEG me to stop and help them. She's so excited that the youth group at church is starting to visit the nursing home. Haley came in one day a few months ago complaining that she had to give "some homeless guy" $9.00 because Karlie threw a fit. I said "why $9?". She said "That's all I had!". Karlie forced her to give every penny to the guy! Sweet girl. She asked me over the weekend to think of a career for her that required no math skills and no college. I named off a few, but I believe she's decided on calling out Bingo numbers at the nursing home. :) The funny thing is, I can totally see her doing that and being completely content.
She's also a softie when it comes to Yuri and Gigi. If they do something bad and I try to discipline them when Karlie is around, I hear this - "Ohhhh my goodness gracious! Come here you sweet angel. Mommy is soooo mean! Let Kiki hold you!". Sigh. Why do I even bother.
Happy Birthday Sweet Karlie Sue!
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