Your brother Will loves you very much and lately he insists on giving you a hug before he goes to bed. Sometimes he whacks you on the head and he's definitely not as gentle as he should be but the two of you give each other the giggles and it's fun to watch.
The day you were born is one of my happiest memories. I wasn't very excited to have another c-section and I had hoped that you would figure out an alternative exit strategy before the surgery. But you didn't and off we went to the hospital. It was a pretty busy morning on the OB floor and we had to wait a few hours but finally it was our turn to head back to the operating room. I still remember hearing your first cry. I was in the midst of a full-blown panic attack on the operating table because I couldn't feel anything below my collarbone and it was FREAKING ME OUT. I was in the middle of begging the doctor to knock me out when I heard this little cry and through the fog and haze that was my brain, I thought, "that's my daughter!" As soon as they pulled you out, they gave me some nice drugs to calm down and things were a little better after that. Your dad brought you over to me and I was so happy to see your little face. You hadn't cooperated in either of the ultrasounds so we had no idea what your face looked like. You were so beautiful and big - much bigger than we thought you would be. We joked that you looked like a baby in a movie - when they use a 3-month old to portray a newborn.
Back in the recovery room, your daddy wheeled you in and you were already sucking on your fist. The nurse told me that you were ready to eat already - it had been less than an hour since you were born. I was still groggy from the drugs and all the screaming, panic-attacky-ness so they rolled me over on my side (I felt like a whale or maybe one of those giant mother pigs) and they latched you on. You knew exactly what to do. Twelve months later, you are still a champion nurser. We do need to talk about that because I would like you to be weaned sometime in 2010 but that's a topic for a later discussion.
It's been quite a year. You are my little shadow. We spend most every afternoon together and you accompany me to the grocery store, the dentist, Target and one hurried haircut appointment. Everybody at my office knows you and has heard all of your stories. Your face lights up when your daddy comes home and I dare say that you have him wrapped around your little finger. You are a happy, smart, active girl and we can't wait to see who you will turn out to be. Happy birthday RVP! 
P.S. Yes, that's a bottle of (unopened) beer leftover from the Super Bowl/birthday party. I better not catch you clutching one of those for another 20 years.
1 comment:
What a sweet letter. Thanks for posting it. I'd never heard the story of Reina's birth. Crazy! She is a beauty. What is up with all of these smart kids? We are all in trouble.
Post a Comment