Happy Birthday, E!

After four shots and a physical... E started really enjoying her 11th birthday!

Her beginnings in this world were certainly dramatic.

(See below from last year):

4 pounds to 10 years

It's hard to believe 10 years ago, I was 32.5 weeks pregnant, getting dinner ready and putting kids to bed, having made plans to drop off Andrew with my mom in the morning so I could go in for a routine non-stress test. The baby flunked...

A day of tests, an expectation of a week or two hospital stay to let baby cook more, and then the specialized ultrasound which healthy babies score 6/8, she got a 1/8, which led to an emergency c-section (the "get your husband to the hospital NOW" kind)... 

We welcomed E Elizabeth (no, not named after Clifford's friend) at 8:37 p.m.. A bit loopy from the drugs and the surgery, looking at this little 4 pound baby in an incubator in the special care nursery, I could hardly believe this tiny being was here. After all, she wasn't due until November and there were no problems with my pregnancy except for the expectation of pre-eclampsia setting in somewhere around week 36/37 as it had before.

E was beautiful, her skin was dark (like mine- one came out looking like they had an Indian mom!), but she had "no meat on her bones".  Just don't tell her she looked like an under-nourished chicken as she takes great offense.  She had a hard time eating (and pumping was a disaster), gaining weight, and keeping her body temperature up.  She was the size of a doll.  So many friends sent flowers (Kim sent some before Em was born when the plan was for me to be hospitalized for a week to get her to "cook" longer), quite a few came to visit her (I have the pictures of everyone suited up in gowns to come into the NICU), and more than I know were saying prayers.  After my discharge from the hospital, my few close friends played such a special role in visiting her, even bringing me in for a visit after my own birthday dinner. Thanks, Kim, that is a night I won't ever forget.

My tiny preemie is going to be "double digits" tomorrow.  She is the kindest kid you will ever meet and brings so much joy into our family.  She truly is everyone's "best friend". 

Well, here we are in 2011 and this 11 year old is one of the most sensitive, spirited and bright, kids I know.  She and I have had such a fun summer together, and in many ways she is more like me than my other kids.  Happy Birthday, E, I hope all your dreams come true!

Love,
Mom