My precious baby girl is an astounding six years old today! How things have changed since that day. She was born on a warm March day in Mishawaka IN. She had a pretty rough start. Her due date was March 23rd so she was a bit early. When she was born they did a bit of testing and said my due date was probably wrong and she was at the very most 36 wks. She struggled to breathe the first 24 hours and wasn't allowed in our room. She rebounded pretty quickly though and came home with us on time and healthy. Then at 4 weeks she caught RSV. This was our family's first foray into tragedy. When a baby is premature and contracts this infection it can be deadly. It started innocently enough at first- a slight cough, runny nose, cold symptoms. I had known what to look for though and immediately took her to the ER, thank God. I thought they would send us home, but her blood oxygen level was so low they admitted her right away. By the next morning, she was barely clinging to life. The hospital we were in could NOT help her and she continued to get sicker by the minute. Finally they decided to air lift her to Riley's in Indy. What a nightmare. We couldn't fly with her so we drove to Indy. Torture! Seeing your precious baby that sick was something I WASN"T prepared for. Funny to think back now, though on my optimism. I never felt even for a moment that she might actually die. Sadly, if something like that were to happen to us now, I'm sure I'd be expecting the worst. Praise God, she eventually got better. It took a good week for her to turn the corner, but she did!!! Funny thing- she's by far our healthiest child now! And what a treasure she is to us. A blessing beyond compare. I mean, just look at that sweet face. Every birthday means so much more to me now since losing Ava. I also admit to feeling a bit guilty celebrating them when my sister has lost so very much. I'm sure she'd call me crazy- but the feeling is there just the same.
Well...my husband is about to steal the computer for work, so I must wrap up. Love to you all.
