HAPPY BIRTHDAY SARAH!

Tomorrow is Sarah's 27th birthday - wow! I'm getting old! But then I suppose she is too! Here we are at the end of another year and what a wild roller coaster ride this past year has been. As I reflect on the past 27 years, it hasn't all been a bed of roses, but we have been so very blessed.

We had a very stressful, emergency and complicated birth with Matt in April of 1981. Matt was 3 1/2 weeks overdue, weighed 9 lbs 10 oz, was 23 inches long, his first AP GAR score was 3, he had the worst case of meconium the pediatrician had ever seen (and he was nearly 100 yrs. old), he wasn't breathing at birth, and had a mucus plug in his throat, which actually ended up probably saving his life because it prevented him from aspirating the meconium. (a God-thing) He stayed isolated for 3 days where we were unable to even touch him. I had lost so much blood during the emergency c-section, I didn't have the strength to see him anyway. We were told he may have brain damage/learning disabilities due to his lack of oxygen before they got the mucus plug out, but Praise God for miracles - he is normal, (well...depending on your definition of normal) healthy and almost too intelligent for his own good! ;-)

So, needless to say, we were certainly looking forward to a "normal", uneventful birth experience this time around. Back in the day, few of us dinosaurs chose to know what we were having ahead of time. We already knew "when" because this birth was a scheduled c-section, so we wanted the "what" to be a surprise. What a joy it was to deliver a perfect little girl on Dec. 29, 1982! Two days later, the pediatrician walked in while I was nursing her and told us she had stopped breathing during the night and the nurses had to "jostle" her to start her up again. They would be "testing" to see what the deal was. Looong story short, we stayed in the hospital with her for over a week before being sent home with a monitor and instructions to keep her elevated to at least 40 degrees, sitting in her infant seat. Ever seen a newborn try to sleep sitting up for the first 6 months? It is not pretty, nor is it restful for child or parent. She had a "reflux" problem and could choke to death - what every parent wants to be responsible for. We dealt with it the best we could.

After 6 difficult and scary months, we were finally able to let her sleep normally - still keeping her on Mylanta for the reflux problems. God was faithful and saw us through those difficult days, just as HE continues to be faithful to us...blessing us in so many ways!

And now...here we are with such a happy, bubbly, fun, forever smiling, crazy, loving and maybe a tad "high-maintenance" beautiful young woman! ha ha

Sarah is such a joy. She and I are like best friends instead of mother/daughter. In her teens, we had a few minor bumps, but we truly have had a super relationship forever! I am truly grateful and blessed to have a daughter like Sarah. She is like a breath of fresh air, or sunlight on a cloudy day... Children are drawn to her like a magnet and adults love to hang with her too because of her sunny spirit and infectious zest for life!

So, on this special day that always seems to get lost in the shuffle of Christmas - HAPPY BIRTHDAY SARAH!! You are deeply loved!!

I can't wait for you to have this baby!! You are going to be such a great Mommy! You will finally be able to "grasp" that special love for a child that people talk about, but that you can't fully understand until you experience parenthood for yourself. Your Dad and I thank the LORD for you and for Matt - our two special loves!

May GOD richly bless you and Stuart as you begin this new and exciting journey! Hope these bring back as many beautiful memories for you as they do for me! HAPPY 27th BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!

I love you,
Mom

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