HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

I started writing this post on Thursday knowing full well that

1) We would be out of town on Charlotte’s actual birthday

2) It was going to take me some time to come up with the appropriate words given the enormity of this day

3) It was going to be hard to write with blurry, tear-filled eyes…and I’m pretty sure that will be the case through this whole post!

Alright…deep breath…here we go.

May 14, 2010 was the most unexpected, overwhelming, exciting, anxiety-inducing, INSANE day of my entire life. I was 37 weeks pregnant and working my last day before a planned “move” to Omaha to sit and wait for our little baby girl to arrive. What started out as a normal Friday quickly began to swing out of my control. Two OB visits, one shot of terbutaline and a frantic search for my husband later, we were on our way to have a baby. We pulled into Omaha at 6 PM and by 10:15 PM we heard the strong cries of our little Charlotte Delene for the very first time. The chaos of the day melted away and the months of fear for her health were forgotten. In that moment, all that I could think was “My gosh…she’s perfect.”

Life hasn’t slowed down since that day. It has been the most stressful year of my entire life, but at the same time it has been incredibly rewarding and has taught me so much about myself. It has reinforced my belief in the goodness of God and reminded me just how lucky we are to have incredible family and friends. I have felt so weak and helpless, but was able to discover strength within my self that I never knew existed. I have embedded myself into the heart community and met so many incredible mommies and heart kiddos. I am different today than I was a year ago…I am better, I am stronger, I am more in love with my husband than ever before...and its all because of our little Charlotte.

Charlotte,

Sigh….I don’t even know where to begin….I guess I should start with HAPPY (late) BIRTHDAY! I can't believe that you are ONE YEAR OLD already. Your first year has been anything but easy, yet through it all you have displayed such strength and resilience.

You made lots of big strides this past month, all reinforcing the fact that my little girl is not so little anymore.

-You are getting better and better at playing on your tummy. You haven't shown much interest in crawling, but you discovered that rolling from tummy to back to tummy gradually inches you forward.

-You LOVE to stand and are getting very good at walking with a little support from Mommy and Daddy. Tonight you even took a few steps with only one of my fingers to steady you. We've got a lot of work before you are flying solo, but you are getting stronger every day.

-We FINALLY found a sippy cup that you like. You would prefer a bottle any day, but I suppose its a step in the right direction.

-You are getting better at table food every day. Your sensitive little gag reflex has been a challenge, but we're learning what works and what doesn't. So far mandarin oranges and green beans are the best. And Cheetos....but babies aren't supposed to eat Cheetos so we'll leave it at that.

-You laugh A LOT. Mostly at your Daddy because he is soooo silly. You like to laugh at your puppies as they chase each other around the yard, too.

-My favorite thing you learned this month is to show us where your heart is. You even decided to show off at your birthday party (of course your hands were covered with sticky frosting when you did it). Everyone was very impressed!

Baby girl, you made it. I can't even to begin to tell you the significance of this milestone, but I know that one day you will understand it all.

Daddy and I love you with all of your hearts. Thank you for making this year the best yet!

(Stay tuned for birthday details and pictures later this week!)