HAPPY BIRTHDAY SAVANNAH!!

Here were are on Savannah's 2nd Birthday. Birthdays are so special to us. Not only are they special for the individual child but as a mom and dad. It is a wonderful time to reflect on the day they were born and what was going on during that time in our life. Each child has brought me something to remember and not one child was a like.

Aiden was our first and biggest!! He initially was thought to have Trisomy 18 or Downs Syndrome due to a cyst that was found on his brain. That was cleared up by an amnio. I was sick the entire pregnancy and gave birth to a 9 pound baby 3 weeks early. During the delivery, he broke 3 ribs and his collar bone. There's Aiden in a nutshell.

Shelby, she's my miracle as well as my angel. I wrote all about her on this blog, but I'll give a really short recap. During my pregnancy with her I was diagnosed with cervical cancer and choose to wait for treatment until her delivery. The wait for her delivery was filled with prayer that she would wait to be delivered, since I had a tumor removed from my cervix, and that the cancer would not spread. She was delivered via c-section 5 weeks early and I underwent a radical hysterectomy right after delivery. That day, I became cancer free!! She was born at 6.8 lbs. So much for a preemie!! I guess I have big babies.

Savannah, well she has a wonderful story of her own. Actually, her story is bittersweet. She was born November 24, 2007. That is the estimated birth date for her. They estimate that she was four days older on her finding date of November 28, 2007. In 2007, she was born on Thanksgiving day. To be honest, I can't think of a better day be born. That Thanksgiving for me was a challenging one. It was another Holiday season without our Savannah. We were approaching a wait of 3 years at that time. Each Christmas, I told the kids that she'd be here for this Christmas and it would come and go. This time it was, not this year maybe next year. Every Thanksgiving, we take our photo for our Christmas card and I decided not to send cards. It was another year without her and I didn't want to send them and be reminded. That was our last photo taken as a family of 4.

While I'm having my poor me pity party, across the globe is a young mother dealing with something quite different. She's joyfully and sadly delivering a sweet smelling baby girl. She's being forced to make a terribly difficult choice. I can't imagine the four days she had with Savannah and what it must have been like for her. I hope to believe that she held and kissed her as tears fell from her eyes. Her moments with her ended when Savannah was left at a gate across the street from her orphanage and found by a guard shortly after. We will never know the circumstances of how Savannah came about, but I do know that God gave us a very special little girl to love and raise.

The love for her began the day that I was told by the doctors that I was not going to be able to have anymore children after the birth of Shelby. I love having a very different story for each child and I wouldn't change anything about them. My life is not my own it is God's and this is what he planned for me. I couldn't do any better if I tried.

Happy Birthday to my sweet baby girl! I'll leave you with a few photos of Savannah's Birthday.

This is a great photo. Look at the excitement over what her present it. Actually, she doesn't even realize what it is. She just loves to open presents. When she sees presents she yells BIRTHDAY! BIRTHDAY!!

Here's she is showing of her Bitty Baby. Actually, her Fisher Price Little People won for the best present. She got a little playground and minivan. She sat on my lap with her baby and the minivan putting the little people in and out in and out.

Yeah, for cupcakes! She loved the cupcakes. She was embarrassed when we sang to her so it was hard to get a photo of her looking into the camera. She knew to blow the candles out.

Yes, we are eating with a fork. She has to have a utensil at all times. She does really well too.