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

A September 11th Blessing

10 years later

At 10:42 p.m on 9/11/97, I gave birth to a beautiful 6 pound, 15 ounce baby girl.  Three months later, she almost died after her heart stopped working.  She has faced so many challenges in her life.  Today, we celebrated her birthday with a small party with friends who love her.

On her 4th birthday, our country was attacked. That evening, we muddled through a birthday celebration with our close friends J and J and K and J and their baby, M.  Once the kids were settled, we adults all sat, in shock,  and watched a Presidential Address "from a secure location" on the TV in my living room.    In retrospect, I am glad to have shared such a painful day with our then very best friends.

The day after, Julia drew a picture of what she described as a "plane crashing into a building".  I still have that picture.  The comments people made/make to her which followed in the days and years were not fair.  She's just a kid.  What happened on that day is awful and evil, but it doesn't define her or her birthday.

It is my prayer and biggest hope that Julia is happy and thrives and accomplishes all she wants in life.  I love you, Julia Grace.  May you have a very Happy Birthday and a year filled with many blessings and much joy.

Happy Birthday, S

We're celebrating Miss S's birthday today!  My "baby" is 9 years old, only one year away from double-digits.

S is a unique, wonderful mix of funny, vibrant, intense, & joyful. She has created the most unique dance that we have dubbed "the Sarah dance".  Being keenly aware that she is indeed #4, Sarah fights for attention without apology. She makes everyone around her laugh.  She also gives 110% to everything-- and is fighting like crazy to overcome some challenges in writing and reading. By far the most imaginative of my kids, she stretches this creativity to make the most funky and neat projects and creations.

I know she hurts sometimes and wishes for her family to be whole.  However, she has a lot of love from me (and from her dad).  There are many special friends in her life who love her.  Maybe it's the bond of having nursed her for so long (ok, well long for my babies, I consider 7 months a *really* long time), but she and I share a very special connection, too.

I know I have the option of having another baby, but today I just want to think about Little Miss S and remember that the day she was born was one of the happiest days of my life (ok, minus the lack of an immediate post-delivery morphine drip at MAH).  Sharing her birth day with my dear friend that evening in person, and with others on the phone, are all fond memories.   She brings so much love and light into our family's world, I can't imagine my life without her in it.   Happy 9th Birthday, S.

(Cut and pasted from last year's birthday post)

Happy Birthday Party S

We had a fabulous, small birthday celebration with two friends from church in honor of S's 9th birthday at Laser Craze. As much fun was had by the adults as the kids and all my daughters had a blast. We are fortunate to have a small group of wonderful friends and seeing Sarah so happy makes my heart smile.


S struggles mightily with self-confidence and seeing her so alive was enough to remind me that all the special times and events she gets to be a part of help her self-esteem. School is not going well for her, she is just a sponge for attention.

Having Andrew not there was a relief, as much as it breaks my heart a little to know all the kids can't
celebrate together.  (He had a great time at the zoo.)


All in all, what a lovely day!

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 A 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 babies are supposed to score 6/8, she got a 1/8, which led to an emergency c-section... 

We welcomed Emily Elizabeth (no, not named after Clifford's friend). 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, and remains so, 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, quite a few came to visit her (have the pictures of everyone suited up in gowns to come into the NICU), and more than I know were saying prayers.  

That 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".

Happy 10th Birthday, E! I love you very much.

A September 11th blessing

At 10:42 p.m on 9/11/97, I gave birth to a beautiful 6 pound, 15 ounce baby girl.  Three months later, she almost died after her heart stopped working.  She has faced so many challenges in her life.  Today, we celebrated her entrance to teenage-dom with a small party with her friends, teachers, and those who love her.

On her 4th birthday, our country was attacked. That evening,  we muddled through a birthday celebration with our close friends J and J and K and J and their baby. Once the kids were settled, we adults all sat down, in shock,  and watched a Presidential Address "from a secure location"  in my living room.  J, soon thereafter, drew a picture of what she described as a "plane crashing into a building".  I still have that picture.  The comments people made to her which followed in the days and years were not fair.  She's just a kid.  What happened on that day is awful and evil, but it doesn't define her or her birthday.

It is my prayer and biggest hope that she is happy and thrives and accomplishes all she wants in life.  I love you, J.  May you have a very Happy Birthday and a year filled with many blessings and much joy.

Happy Birthday Miss S

We're celebrating Miss S's birthday tomorrow afternoon. While her actual date of birth is a few weeks off (being born in the middle of April vacation every year is not schedule-friendly for your friends to come to your party), it is amazing that my "baby" is going to 8!

Sarah is a completely wonderful mix of funny, vibrant, intense, & joyful. She has created the most unique dance that we have dubbed "the Sarah dance".  Being keenly aware that she is indeed #4, Sarah fights for attention without apology. She makes everyone around her laugh.  She also gives 110% to everything-- and is fighting like crazy to overcome some weaknesses in writing and reading. By far the most creative of the kids, she stretches this creativity and makes the most lovely projects. As I write this, she is creating birthday cards for some dear friends.

She has "gone with the flow" during a *really* awful few years, and gives the most wonderful hugs. I worry a lot about her, about how the divorce and subsequent events would affect her, but she is so smart that she seems to know what is right and what is wrong almost intuitively.

I know she hurts sometimes and wishes for her family to be together again. My heart aches for the things she won't grow up with. But, I do know she has a lot of love from me (and from her dad) and we will stay constant in her life.  Maybe it's the bond of having nursed her for so long (ok, well long for my babies, I consider 7 months a *really* long time), but she and I share a very special connection.  In many ways, ok most ways, losing my last pregnancy, as crappy as that was, was for the best.

I know I have the option of having another baby, but today I just want to think about Little Miss S and remember that the day she was born was one of the happiest days of my life (ok, minus the lack of an immediate post-delivery morphine drip at MAH).  She brings so much love and light into our family's world, I can't imagine my life without her in it.   Happy 8th Birthday Party S.

S's Birthday

Today, my baby turns 7. How time has flown, I still remember like it was yesterday holding her for the first time. I looked into her eyes and fell in love with this tiny person.

It's true that S's siblings didn't seem fazed by her arrival (I recall Julia hiding under the chair in my hospital room). I took out the pictures of our time in the hospital and was struck by how happy Will and I looked. With Em, we were stressed, with Andrew we were utterly exhausted after the delivery. With Julia, we were happy but also very tired (those darned inductions...). With Sarah, we looked happy, well-rested (I was still glassy-eyed from the drugs), and content with this new little person. That night, when my family had gone, my friend Kim came. I was intent upon recovering quickly and knew the best way to start on that track was to get up and walking. Walking down the corridor of the postpartum unit felt like the longest walk ever, but I did it. We had a nice visit. A good way to celebrate the day Sarah came into this world all around.

The many hours feeding her, just the two of us together as the months passed, were so special. She was an easy baby, which was good because it was a difficult time with Andrew just being diagnosed with autism. I would get her up every morning and sing her a silly little song, which always made her giggle and smile.

Sarah is a beautiful little girl who has the most energetic and fun personality. True to form, as the baby of our family, she fights for everything and doesn't want to be left out. She and Emily, though neither will easily admit it, share a very special friendship, too.

Happy Birthday, my "baby" girl. Thank you for coming into our lives and bringing so much joy and laughter to it. I love you very much.