Birthday Girl

It is so hard to believe that 2 years have passed since our darling daughter was born! What a ride her little life has been! From the moment she came into our lives, she has kept us on our knees in prayer and scratching our heads in confusion.

Even though she was our second baby girl (you know, after you have one, you're experts, right?), we had no idea what we were doing. Our first daughter was a big baby (8 lbs 13 oz) and never lost an ounce. She left the hospital and gained an ounce and by the next week, she was 9 lbs 2 oz. and she didn't stop there. :)

Evelyn - well, she wanted to make her own way. She started off by losing weight (born at 7 lbs 9 oz), even more than a normal baby would. For the sake of yucky, stinky details, let's just say that the milk was going through her too quickly. :)

Once she did start to gain weight, we noticed that she seemed to have other trouble. We already had determined that we would have to bottle feed her (not our original plan) because she was tongue tied, but now she seemed to be falling asleep while she was eating - and then waking up very startled. This was weird. It started happening more and more. So, we took her in for a swallow study (the first of many it turns out). To make a very long, painful story shorter, she aspirates when she drinks. That means that some of it goes into her lungs. When she was little, her body would "shut down" to protect her lungs. As she got older, she coughed and choked more -- until it was so painful for her to drink from the bottle that she had to have an ng tube.

Oh this was heartbreaking! We spent her 3 month birthday at Riley learning how to put the tube down her nose into her stomach so that she could eat without damaging her lungs (it had to be changed so I had to learn how to do this). I felt so helpless. I am thankful that I have the loving arms of my heavenly Father to lean on because I felt very alone and desperate as we spent the night in the hospital. Here was my precious baby who was so sick and I could do nothing to fix it for her.

6 weeks. She had the tube for 6 long weeks. It took nearly an hour to feed her (gravity drip of the formula down the tube into her stomach). If she got upset and started crying, it took longer, so we sat in a room by ourselves so she could just rest. She also has reflux so we had to hold her up after feeding (if you have had a reflux baby, you can relate). She ate every 2 hours. That doesn't leave much time for anything else.

I prayed. I listened to sermons on my iPod. I cried. It was a difficult time, to say the least. I constantly reminded myself to enjoy this extra time I had to hold our baby girl because there would be a day (all too quickly) when she wouldn't need me.

God is amazing. He was always there for me. He put a little bug in our ear when I was pregnant, so we were thankfully already considering me being a SAHM. I praise Him for that because now there wasn't a choice. She was so sick that I had to stay home and take care of her. There are so many jobs that I am able to do, but this was a job that ONLY I COULD DO. Only I could be her Mom. 

Since then, she has had ear tubes put in, her tongue clipped, occupational therapy to help her learn how to drink without choking - but she still chokes. She has to drink thick drinks and out of a straw, but sometimes, she still chokes. She may have this the rest of her life

Praise the Lord that in spite of all that drama - she had no problems growing or with respiratory infections. She is perfect in every other way.

And now, she is a two year old. No longer a baby. Not really even a toddler since she doesn't toddle - she runs! Babies are amazing! I pray that she has a great birthday and that she doesn't turn into one of those "terrible twos"....although she has already been practicing.