Happy Birthday Hannah

14 Years ago....

Our little Hannah was born!

What a blessing she was to our family.

She was a ray of sunshine, always smiling and happy.

She was planned like her sister and also had a story about how she was conceived.

Mike and I had wanted another child and it had been almost four years since we had Sara.  So we decided that it was a great time to try...but just like with Sara, we almost lost Hannah.

At 6 weeks I began to have symptoms of having a miscarriage just like I did before Sara.  I knew that I couldn't give in, so I began to pray with all my might!  

One night as I was reading the Bible about Hannah wanting to have a son so bad that she was willing to give him up at a certain age to the church, I knew my baby's name would be Hannah.  I wanted her so badly and I knew how Hannah must have felt in the Bible.

For the length of my pregnancy, I stayed dilated 3 cm.  But I wouldn't give up and when we had her, she was rated almost a 10 on the birth scale other than her breathing.  What was supposed to be a happy day quickly became one of my worst nightmares.  The Dr and nurse quickly whisked Hannah away from me, taking her to NICU.  They told me that there was basically no hope.  I remember looking at Mike with fear in my eyes and seeing that same fear in his.  

But I wouldn't give in!

They kept me in the hospital as long as they possibly could so I could be near my baby, being able to visit every second I could.  But then they sent me home.

I spent one week on very few hours of sleep traveling back and forth to the hospital at all hours making sure she was able to have my breast milk.  For those who have breastfed, you know every three hours in the beginning for feeding is normal.  So you see just how much rest I was getting.

But then she began to do something that they all thought was impossible...she began to get better, gain weight and breath on her own!

On Easter day, they let us take her home.  What an Easter present that was for  her Dad, sister and I. 

She was a miracle just like her sister....our children were definitely gifts from God!

She was sent home on a breathing monitor and we were told that she would at least be on it for one year.

NOT!!!

Three months later and she was taken off, said to be perfectly normal and never had RSV.  Something preemies have quite often.  See, she had been born almost 2 months early, only weighed a little over 4 pounds and couldn't breath on her own.  

See how God blessed us?!

Now she is celebrating her 14th birthday...and what a precious day it is looking back on what we went through to have her.

She was always ready to play and her Daddy was just the perfect playmate!

She was my little buddy after sissy went off to school.  We played together, took naps, ate goodies and waited for sissy and Daddy to come home.

Someone for her big sister to play tricks on....

Tall and slender, always smiling and if I do say so myself...absolutely beautiful!

So Happy Birthday dear sweet Hannah!  

Our family was complete the day you came into our lives!

I love you, 

                  Mommy