Happy Birthday To You Our Darling Daughter!

September 30Th, is only a few hours away, and so it is time to wish our daughter a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY, on that special day!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SUNSHINE!!!

Hope your day is very special!

Today is Skylar's 9th birthday! Really--where did the time go? What a blessing she has been to us! This is my baby and now she's all grown up. Yes I know that she is only 9 but guess what 9 years ago on Sept 30th 2000 was the happiest day of my life. It doesn’t seem like it was all that long ago that you were born, and later that I was bouncing you on my knee. Skylar has always had a wonderful smile that just lights up her whole face. She is our joyful girl and she loves to laugh and have a good time.

How does a mother feel at that time about her one and only daughter, her little princess, her little sweetie pie, her little ray of sunshine? A little story here might provide a small hint.

I remember like it was yesterday when I found out I was pregnant with you I prayed to God for a happy healthy child I really wanted a little girl but no matter what would have been happy either way. I awoke on Sept 30, 2000 with bad cramps. Since I had been feeling them all night long, and I just thought it might have been something that I ate. When I went to get dressed I felt this sharp pain in my side and I was spotting and the pain was getting worse so I called my Dr. Office and I begged the nurse to call the Doctor and my Dr. was not the one who was on call but she told me that I needed to get to the hospital as soon as I could. So I called your (daddy) and he was on his way to work and he turned around and met me at the hospital. I was happy to see that luckily the nurse got ahold of my Dr. after all and she was already up there to see me. As the Dr. put her hand on my stomach and felt tightening. She said she believed that I was in labor. They did a ultra sound on me and she said we can do one of two things we can have the baby here and send her (you) to little rock or we can try to keep her (you) inside for as long as we can and send you in a ambulance to Little Rock. Well we chose going to UAMS in Little Rock would be the best answer cause I didn't want to take any chances of anything else going wrong with my baby girl. I was so scared and I started screaming “No, it’s too early- I’m only 30 weeks!” I was so not ready and I new you had not full grown yet but they said it would all be ok even, My Doctor said that you would be fine, and that you would need to stay in the NICU for a while but you would be ok. Oh some where in there your daddy and Aunt Jen were talking and your Aunt Jen called your nana and told her what was going on told her she had 30 min to get everything together and to get to the hospital. So then we went down to get into the ambulance and away we went your daddy in one car and your nana and pop in the other the ambulance driver told them there would be alot of traffic so not to try to keep up but they did anyway we were laughing at the way they were speeding through traffic. . I was in a ambulance for what seemed like for ever but was only 3 hours but I think it took us 30 min when we got to UAMS they put me in a room had a Dr come check me and he said they were gonna try to keep her(you) in for a few more weeks in hope of you to keep growing and then when they checked me later that night they said we are gonna get me ready for a emergency c-section. So they wheeled me into the operating room, alone and scared. There were many people around: Doctors for me Doctors for you , nurses for me and you , NICU nurses, Neonatologists…. I kept asking are you gonna let my husband in as I was crying they said yes it will be just a min honey we have to get you all ready. Then I see your daddy and he made everything ok for me I was so happy he was in there with me to hold my hand and to tell me what was going on cause I couldn't see or feel anything. I remember seeing just a glimpse of you I seen a head full of black hair and I was really worried about you casue at first I didn't hear you cry but then seconds later which is what seems like days I heard you cry out really loud.. I was so happy I knew you were little and early but I knew you were alive and full of strength.

All I wanted to know was that you would be OK. They told me you were taken to the NICU. I remember the I wasn’t allowed to see you for over 24 hours. Those were the longest hours of my life. When I did see you, my heart was ripped into shreds- you had tubes and wires all over you. You had tubes up your nose, a hat that held the tubes in place, and eye mask for the jaundice. I couldn’t see who you looked like! I thought, this was not the way to see my baby for the first time! It wasn’t fair. The NICU nurses told me that you were doing well, and that you are really stronger and that you are a fighter for sure. You stayed in the NICU from 4-6 weeks. NICU life was not easy--it was hard to not have you home with us. We came home to an empty house, an empty nursery. I knew that I had had you, but coming home empty handed made me feel like what I went through didn’t really happen. The entire process of going from no baby to a premie baby was not an easy transition. We didn’t know how to deal with the lack of sleep, the lack of inexperience. But Daddy and I worked together and were a wonderful team! We managed to become feeding, changing, bathing pros!

Did you know that the NICU nurses used to fight over who would be your nurse for the day? They all loved you! You were a huge crier from the get-go! I think it had to do with the tummy aches you may have had. You look so much like your daddy, it’s unbelievable. You are attached to your Daddy- and adore him. You are always smiling and friendly to people

We love you , our sweet angel. You have brought so much light to our lives, it’s amazing.

Happy 9th Birthday- and Thank you for letting me be your mother- you have made me a better person.

Love,
Mommy