7th Birthday Celebration- Her Story

Today is a very special day.  

Actually, every day is a special day for us.  God has blessed us with two beautiful children.  But like with any relationship, parenthood has not been easy.

When Bill and I began dating, we knew that we wanted to have a family together.  After our son was born, I faced many difficulties including Post Partum Depression.  But with the help of my husband and God, I over came my depression and made a life changing decision.  I vowed to try very hard to be the best mother I could be for my son and that he was never going to feel alone and unwanted.

I was no longer going to dwell on my mother's decision to disown me.   In order to be a better person, wife and mother, I needed to move past that.

 

When my husband came to me with the idea of adding one more bundle of joy to our family, I had many doubts.  Especially, when I had finally managed to keep up with a full time job, motherhood and of course my wifely duties. 

When we became pregnant, I was static but that came to a stop when we lost the pregnancy at 12 weeks.  While it was difficult, physically and emotionally, we decided to try again. Keeping in mind that we did lose one pregnancy before we were able to have our son.  

After many months of trying, we became pregnant for the fourth time.  But by 16 weeks we were given the very sad news that it was not a liable pregnancy and that it was a matter of time before I started the process of miscarrying.   When it eventually happened, I was distraught and emotionally I was exhausted.  I decided not to try again, and accepted the fact that God only wanted me to have one child.

 

I remember the day my best friend, Maria called me.  It was early morning and I had just walked into my office.  She needed to take a pregnancy test but didn't want to do it alone.  

Therefore, she persuaded me to do one with her, even though I was sure it was a waste of money and a perfectly good pregnancy test because I knew nothing was there waiting for me to discover.  We argued while we were on the phone, okay more like I wined the entire time while we were waiting for results of the home pregnancy test, I was flabbergasted by the two little pink lines telling me to "shut up and think again".  I couldn't believe it, we were BOTH pregnant! 

While I didn't share the news right away with my husband, I did call my Doctor right away.  My husband didn't find out until October 2007.  I didn't want him to suffer another heartbreak; instead, I decided to live in fear alone until I was 100% sure that everything was good.   So, Thank You Mom and Mari for keeping my secret, which, if you asked my husband, is the only secret I have been able to keep from him.  Yeah, I can't keep a secret from him!

But my happiness was short lived.  On, November 2007 I was put on mandatory bed rest, I was not allowed to work or do the smallest task.  I was bed bound due to the lack of amniotic fluid, our inability to gain weight and the baby's inability to grow at a proper rate.  It didn't matter how much I ate, how much I drank, nothing helped.  We had to go through bi-weekly ultrasounds and we were at the doctor's office weekly to monitor the baby's heart rate and movement.  I was terrified every day.

But our baby was showing us even then that she was a fighter.  By February 1st, I had grown restless, and it was clear that our baby felt the same way. 

On February 7th, after another ultrasound, we discovered Ms. Bree was faced the right away and ready to come so I decided to give her a hand! How you ask?  I walked the mall with a huge pretzel in one hand and a jug of water in the other.  By 8 pm, my contractions were strong and steady and Grandmother had finally arrived from North Carolina to take care of little man.  I was admitted around 9:30 p.m. that night and I was ready to rock and roll!  However, our little Bree was not!  Ms. Bree had fallen asleep, flipped the wrong way and my contractions had stopped.  At 5 a.m. and after 9 hours of labor, I was tired, hungry (okay I was mainly hungry) and ready to push that lazy baby out but I couldn't since she was facing the wrong way. 

The nurses tried everything to get her to move to no avail, my doctor had no other choice but to break the water and try to move her but my baby was a stubborn baby! 

Ms. Bree made her entrance right before lunch time at 11:03 am weighting 5 lb 10 oz. 

I honestly think she smelled the food or maybe it was me telling her that she needed to come out because mommy wanted to eat!  And if you know me, than you know that nothing comes between me and my food.  

Little Billy met his sister on the evening on February 8th.   While he wanted a little brother, he was more than happy to have a little sister. 

Ms. Bree was born with a head full of straight hair as well as "infant jaundice", which is a yellow discoloration in a newborn baby's skin and eyes.  This usually occurs because the baby's blood contains an excess of bilirubin (bil-ih-ROO-bin), a yellow-colored pigment of red blood cells. Infant jaundice is a common condition, particularly in babies born before 38 weeks gestation (preterm babies).  She had to spend some time under the direct sun.

Ms. Bree was not all that well for her first birthday but, the fevers, congestion and the teething didn't stop her from enjoying her first cake!  Ms. Bree started experiencing lots of colds and ear infections.  

A few days before her second birthday, Ms. Bree and Little Man became ill with the Flu.  While our son responded well to the antibiotics and breathing treatments, our little princess actually developed pneumonia and had to be hospitalized for a week.  Her inability to eat, drink and use the bathroom became an issue.  During our stay at the hospital, she had many wonderful nurses and around the clock care.  But even during this difficult time, she never stopped smiling and her brother did everything he could to make her smile.

After her recovery, Ms. Bree had surgery to implant the ear tubes and remove her adenoids.  She thrived after the surgery.  She began to talk and began to sleep through the night.  I no longer had to make sure she was laying the right way in order for her to breath.  But that really never stopped me from looking at our video monitor.  I mean, I'm super paranoid, I'm sure that if you look up the word you will see a photo of me!

Ms. Bree loves to dance and sing.  She is a girly girl but she can easily switch and play rough with the boys.  The perfect balance if you ask me.       

5th Birthday Celebration- Frozen Theme

And who can forget her Frozen Birthday Party! She celebrated her birthday with many of her classmates. 

To read more about this amazing bash click here:  Her Frozen-5th-Birthday Celebration

6th Birthday Celebration- Barbie Theme

This was the year we went all out.  All the DIY decorations, cake and treats.  Her special outfit designed by Miss. Teeny Fab Couture and her very special Barbie Cookies made by Tiffany's Homemade.

To see the full post please click here:   Her 6th Barbie Birthday Party.

7th Birthday Celebration- Monster High Theme

 We are so glad that our daughter was able to celebrate her birthday with her family and close friends.  Ms. Bree is due to have surgery in March 2016.  Please continue to pray for our little angel.  We pray that her inexplicable fevers stay away and that the surgery helps her body get rid of everything that is currently weakening her system.  And that after the surgery she is able to enjoy her childhood even more.

A Special Letter to My Daughter

Dear Bree:

You are now seven years old and truly I can't believe it.  I remember the day I first held you in my arms.  You were so small, skin so soft and delicate.  Trust me when I say that your father will always be wrapped around your little finger.  You may not know what that means now, but one day you will know what that means. 

You have grown into a beautiful little girl who loves to smile, who loves God and always chooses to do right thing.  You are independent, caring and talented in many ways.  Your love and dedication to art and dance surprises me.

Your ability to see the best in everything or everyone shows me every day how kind your heart truly is.  Please continue to do that.  God has given you a kind heart full of joy that people find very hard to ignore.  Your laugh is infectious.  But when the time comes, the time when you experience cruelty and rejection, don't forget that I will always be there for you.  There are many things in this world that I will not be able to protect you from or fix, but I will always be there to comfort you. 

I know I'm not perfect, I know I scream a lot and I promise to do better.  Don't ever be afraid to share things with me, because I will never judge. 

And if one day a boy breaks your heart and makes you feel less, we will tell your father and he can go hunting. 

I pray every day that you never stop caring for your brother, he may not tell you this, but he loves you very much.   You are his baby sister and he will always be your older brother. 

You are very special to us, even when we are mad at each other, okay, I have to think about this for a minute because we are never mad at each other… You are perfect, from your big hair, tan skin and toothless smile, don't ever forget that.  I promise to improve as a Mother and to always be your friend.  You are my baby girl, my only girl and I will always love you no matter what.   Your father and I are so blessed to have you in our lives, our love for you will never end, will never falter, this is an everlasting love!