How did we get to 7 already?

This week is our 7 year anniversary.  How did that happen? I feel like we just got married last year!


Haha, I'm not sure I will ever look that way again after having Evie! While our wedding day was definitely the happiest day of my life, I think this year has been the best year of my life.  Not because it was easy, but because it has further refined us and made our lives fuller and richer.

A year ago, we were just starting to tell friends and family about Evie, but also digesting the thought that Evie likely had Down Syndrome. I was downing ginger ale like it was water, and craving pineapple.  And honestly, I was struggling with a tinge of sadness whenever people congratulated me for being pregnant, because I knew there was a strong possibility that my baby would have medical issues.  But one thing was for sure--Erick and I already loved this baby, and we were a team.

Today, Evie has so many people praying for her and just loving her, that I am overwhelmed with joy when I think about it.  With a rough start in the NICU and then heart surgery, Evie has emerged with a stronger heart, a strong personality, and quite a few fans. I am ecstatic to be Evie's mommy. 




Today, I love my husband even more than last year and didn't imagine that was possible. When I watch him with our daughter, I sometimes just sit there and grin happily because he is such a great daddy. Even when he decides to give her a mohawk! 





We may disagree sometimes on feeding strategies, what the doctor said, or why Evie is crying, but we also agree on how much we love her and will do whatever it takes to be good parents to her. Sometimes we are frustrated or just exhausted, but we do this thing called parenting together.  And every once in awhile, we get to slip out to see a movie. 

Here's to many more years of joy and stretching (both in life and physically, because Evie is getting heavy and our backs hurt) in this great journey we are on together!  I love you, Erick!






Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Letter to My Daughter's Class

Image
Something I never thought I'd have to do when I first got pregnant was that I'd need to explain to the other kids in my daughter's class what's different about her.   And honestly, after spending a month in preschool, I don't think the other kids see too many of the differences.  The letter is more for the parents, so they won't be caught off guard if a child goes home talking about a "plastic tube that goes into Evie's stomach," or asking why Evie has a wheelchair and a walker.


Our preschool team has been amazing, and one of their suggestions for the transition was to write a letter to the other families in the preschool class, explaining the g-tube in case the children asked about it.  They put me in contact with another mom, whose tubie is now in 3rd grade and flourishing. So a lot of credit goes to this mom, who gave permission for them to send me a copy of her original letter, so that I wouldn't have to start from scratch.  She provided t…
Read more

Evie's first day of school!

Image
I didn't cry.  Everyone warned me I would cry, but I think I was too busy trying to unfold Evie's walker and help Erick with her wheelchair, and forgot to be emotional about dropping off Evie on her first day of preschool.   Evie didn't even notice that I left.  She saw kids playing with trains, and I plopped her down on the rug and left.  I kissed her goodbye and she didn't even blink.  She was too busy looking at the trains.


The preschool coordinator came to meet us, and took over, and that was that.  We left our precious cargo in SCHOOL!

One of the moms introduced herself in the hallway.  She said that her kids were told about Evie before she came, and they were all excited to have her there.  That meant so much to me. Evie actually has a Rifton chair that has a picture of her on the back so that other kids don't take her chair.  Rifton chairs provide more support for a kid who needs more support to sit for long periods of time.




Evie's going to have play ti…
Read more

Feisty is my middle name.

Image
Along with growing taller, Evie is growing in feistiness.  She has definite opinions about everything from socks to books to how she should eat.  I didn't read on any of the Down Syndrome websites that there seems to be a theme of stubbornness in our kids (although every kid is still different!).  But as I've learned from other families, stubbornness is a very real thing.  First, she has the genes for stubbornness from both sides of the family.  Then she seems to have the extra copy of special stubbornness.   But the thing is, she's a cute stubborn.  She sticks out her lower lip and crosses her arms as she emits a "Gaaaah!"  Which just makes me laugh at her. Most of the time.

Today I am not laughing.  We decided last night to wean her off the iPad while she eats.  I was inspired by the other parents on the tube-weaning Facebook group I joined, and while I was warned that it would be tough, it is still hard to start the journey.  The first 2 meals were surprisingl…
Read more