Turning 5

Yellow, still Paisley's favorite color. Her 5th birthday seems as if it was thrust upon me in some shocking manner....one might think, well, I had five years to prepare, but ah well, such is the beauty of motherhood: I don't find myself counting down until the next milestone, but rather absorbing each moment as they are spread throughout each day and then suddenly, there is a milestone knocking me over! I have found myself thinking as this birthday has come and gone: what does she need for her birthday? We are so lucky to have numerous toys of all kinds, educational, creative, outdoor, glittery(of course), functional, and so on.....She has a warm, cozy bed filled with stuffed animals, babies and view of her sister snuggled in her bed, pictures on the wall, and bright windows....she has clothes(especially thanks to our friends the Blues!), and our cabinets are full of yummy food.....
It is easy to hop online and explore a variety of sites that make me drool over their dresses, shoes, hairbands (and I have never really considered myself a girly girl!)....toys that seem so appealing...so there is the temptation to clean out the toy bins, sort, and fill them with new...but, it isn't NEEDED. So, what does she NEED?

                        She needs to know how strong she is, how resilient she is, how courageous and inspirational she is. 

She needs to remember how much she is loved, by so many. 

                   She needs to be empowered, both by herself and those that love her. 

She needs her health

As early as 3 weeks old Dave and I asked the doctor if her weight was ok; we thought she was thin, despite her constant cheery disposition. The bump of her heart when we held her tightly against our chests, the grunts in the night that seemed so pained, the troubled expression in her brows, all clues to what was coming in just a few days and weeks. 

By 8 weeks old, we begged the doctors to listen and by 10 weeks, we knew. The two holes, one larger than her aorta, were causing her body to fade. She was turning grey before our eyes, thinner by the day....then, finally, an answer, a reason, "failure to thrive" was translated into something that could be FIXED. 

Miracles of modern medicine are the root of the Fix, but deep down, there she was, with that strength, that courage, that resiliency, that love....and she finally had pink toes. Now, at the age of 5 we tell her that her scar is empowering, that is reminds her of what she can endure and achieve. For her 5th birthday, I wanted her to feel her scar and keep growing.

 Happy 5th Birthday sweet Paisley. Thank you for always reminding us the value of health and life and the power of our souls.    

 

Below is what I wrote in our other blog on the day we arrived home from Boston Children's hospital:

This is the day I came home from Boston after having heart surgery. I was very happy to be healthy-so were my mom and dad (and many other people). Some say that the hole in my heart opened many other hearts.....  

 2 Years Old

 

May 2010: 2 years 2 months; 2 months