First Birthday Parties

Everyone knows that my baby girl is quite the princess. She has more clothes in her wardrobe than I do, and is usually impeccably dressed (minus a few small slobbery patches and a miscellaneous smear or two of leftover food!). She has awesome fashion sense, even if Mama here gets at least part of the credit. :)
Christmas morning, amid the barrage of presents under our tree, I found THE most precious little dress. Red, lacy with sparkles....oh my heart practically did a dance of joy! I was practically dying to get her in that precious concoction, however, her Christmas outfit had already been chosen. Somehow, she just HAD to be wearing that little red velvet dress Nana made for my 1st Christmas to hers. So the lacy red finery was shuttled to the closet, for use on another day......
New Years Day dawned bright (and relatively warm for an Indiana January) and I spent quite a bit of time mentally reviewing the contents of Liddy's closet, searching for that one outfit that just screamed Birthday Party Princess. Then it hit me. Duh. What better place to wear a fancy frilly Gwen Stephani design than a first birthday party...In fact, where else are we reasonably going to be able to wear it anyway?

 

Oh. Could she BE any more beautiful? Or any more grown up looking? (Thank you to the ladies of the SCN for this gorgeous dress!)

Before the party was officially started, Liddy got in some cuddle time with Grandma, who read her "On the Night That You Were Born", which provided some truly precious picture opportunities for the camera happy mama in me......

My favorite. :)

Then some posed pictures with Mommy (and Kylie).....

Then the present opening.....

Yes folks. She's trying to put her new shirt on. Apparently those lessons in fashion have been well taught!

Then on to the best part...the cake!

After receiving a little help blowing out the single candle, Liddy got the chance to dig in to her own personal fount of yummy-ness. Strangely enough she needed a little encouragement at first, but once she understood that it was fair game, she quickly proceeded to paint herself in handfuls of pinkish globs of icing heaven......

 

which led to taking the new big girl bath seat for a test run.....

 

She likes it! Oh happy day!

Then after dressing in the new cutie patootie outfit Grandma got her,

Who knew Carhart made clothes this cute for babies?

There was a little time for you and Great Grandma Betty to check each other out too.....

It was a wonderful day. Which leaves me wondering, why can't EVERY birthday be a first birthday party? :)

The Responsibilities of Being a Post OHS Mama

When facing Liddy's upcoming surgery several months ago, I fully admit that I had a difficult time focusing on the 95% success rate. My mind rationally accepted all those successes and mentally, I expected nothing different. But it was incredibly hard to silence the terrified whispers of my mama heart.....the terrible what if's plagued me in the darkest hours of night, robbing me of sleep, stressing me out completely, and making me doubt my ability to bring all of us through it all without completely falling to pieces. In the middle of the night, I made endless bargains with God to spare my baby, because in all honesty, I simply can not imagine my life without her in it. I faltered in my fragile faith more than once, and stumbled along the path too many times to count......
What got me through our 16 day hospital stay, what got me through all the ups and downs that came along with Liddy's recovery, what got me through the days when I felt completely broken and emotionally hanging by a thread, were the other mamas who had walked in the same shoes before me. The women who prayed without failing, who lent encouraging words, who nominated us for a LoveBomb, which resulted in thousands of people the world over lifting our baby girl in prayer, and one who even offered to pack up three kids in the car and drive 3 hours if I said the word.
I can honestly say that I am not sure that I would have kept my sanity without those women, who refused any thanks and never asked for a thing in return.....
I have found that being a post-op mama comes with a responsibility. It has been my distinct pleasure to "pay forward" the love and support that was shown to me by providing what little I can in the way of love, support and prayers to other mamas who are facing what we have already conquered.
So tonight, that is what I am asking for....love and prayers for two mamas and their precious baby girls who are, even now, preparing to hand their world into the ready and waiting hands of a surgeon, praying with all of their hearts for miracles to happen and broken hearts to become brand new.

Look at these faces.......

Harper... going in for surgery on Wed. January 4th....

Charlotte..going in for surgery tomorrow, January 3rd

 Please bombard the gates of Heaven with these two babies' names. These are Liddy's sisters..their mothers are my own sisters......united by an extra chromosome and OHS.
If you have a little bit of extra time, head over to their blogs and leave them a little love and support there as well.
Charlotte's mama, Faith, can be found here and Harper's mama, Kaiti, can be found here .
I will update as often as I can get information.....Thank you all so much in advance.
Kaiti and Faith, if you need anything at all please let me know. Much love to you both.......
Remember, God is strong enough for both of you......

The End of 2011

Dearest Lydia,
Tonight we say farewell to 2011. All over the world people will be greeting 2012 with great fanfare. Here at home, it will be a much quieter celebration.
With the dawning of the year 2011, we found ourselves in the maternity ward of the local hospital, with contractions less than 5 minutes apart. I truly was convinced as we made the drive in through the ice and snow, on streets strangely still, that by morning we would be looking into your sweet face. Apparently, you and my body decided that it was not meant to be. We returned home through those same silent streets just before midnight to await January the 3rd, when we mistakenly believed your official eviction would take place just as had been carefully planned, in the hospital which would be properly able to care for you, with Mama and Daddy by your side.
Something about the beginning of a new year can't help but bring out the reflective side of me. I spend much of the evening taking out all of the new memories which have been made during the previous year, looking them over one by one, and pondering what the new year will bring.
2011 gave me a whole lot of new memories, some good, some bad, some blissfully happy, some heartbreakingly sad. But as I sit at my computer tonight, as the hours and minutes of 2011 whittle away, I am profoundly in awe of what an amazing year it has been.......
January 6th brought you, more beautiful, more amazing than I could have ever imagined. The very best beginning to a new year. Three weeks as a visitor in the Special Care Nursery while we waited to recieve the go ahead to bring you home seemed an eternity, even though all it took was a quick look around at your neighbors to know how lucky we were. Leaving the hospital without you was easily one of the hardest things I have done in my life. I found myself torn; while at the hospital I was missing everyone at home, while at home I was missing you.
The end of January found us finally packing you, and your heart monitor, and NG tube supplies, into the car and driving you to a place you had never been yet. Home, where you officially met your brothers for the very first time, face to face. Oh what a moment. *sigh* Watching them gave at you with the same wide eyed wonder that I felt every time I looked at you completely melted my heart.
We spent the next several months of 2011 settling in, melding together our little family of four into one of five. Ayden turned 6, Caleb turned 13. You and Daddy and I spent a glorious 5 days soaking up the peacefulness, the warmth, and the beauty of the ocean. And then came the day we had been dreading.
July 14th. Open Heart Surgery Day. You were smiling and laughing in the tiny room where Daddy and I sat, willing ourselves the strength to hand you over. With teary eyes, I kissed you one last time and my heart broke as we walked away, your confused cries echoing behind us. Almost an entire day spent in the waiting room, praying with every breath for word that it was finally over....that your heart was whole. Spending an entire day beside your bed, talking to you, touching you, trying to calm your fears, your pain, your confusion, both of us needing desperately to cuddle, but being unable to do anything to help ease either one of our suffering. A collapsed lung,  almost 4 days of not holding you when you cried, a 13 day stay in the PICU, and a pacemaker all stretched my faith. But as the days wound down and we got closer to getting home, I watched you blossom, bit by bit returning to the girl I love so much.
16 days later, as we turned the final corner onto our street, it hit me. It was over. We had all survived! :)
August saw a return to "normal" life. Your brothers and I returned to school. Therapy appointments resumed, with the addition of one new therapist twice a month. You grew. You learned. You again blossomed.
The remainder of our year was spent in blissful happiness. Peace. Immense love for each other.
I find that although in some ways I mourn the passing of this first year of your life, I can not wait to see what 2012 has in store for all of us. I'm sure it's going to bring BIG things.
Happy New Year, baby.
I am more in love with you with each passing day.......Blue skies ahead! :)
XOXOXO,
Mommy