It's hard for me to believe that it's been five years since I was sent to the hospital to be induced. I was eleven days away from my due date and Sonya was nowhere ready to be born. Yet, the doctors said my "fluid was too low" and she had to come out, so there I was about to have my first baby.
After many hours of on again off again labor, I stopped progressing and they decided I needed a C-section. Upon hearing this news I broke into tears. I hadn't prepared myself for this possibility. I'm not sure why, but it was not the way I ever pictured my delivery going. None of it was living up to my expectations at that point. Perhaps I should have known then this is what raising a kid would be like. Expecting the unexpected.
Andy, trying to be supportive and comforting, but still being a man, said,
"What? Don't cry, you're still getting a baby." And in the end he was right. We got our baby. Our perfect little girl. I can still remember her little face and perfectly round head-thanks to the C-section-all swaddled up in those bear blankets Cedars gives out. She was so tiny and so QUIET those first few days. Something that would never be said about her again. Andy made the mistake on our second day in the hospital of asking,
"How come she doesn't really cry that much?"
She must have heard him, because about two weeks later she made up for it. I feel like all she did was cry for four months straight. The only things that would keep her quiet were feedings and the stove fan. Consequently, I had very sore boobs and didn't cook much for those four months.
After she got out of her infancy, she became a really good baby. However, she didn't want to walk. Talking was NOT a problem. My mom always said I was speaking in complete sentences by twenty months and I never believed her until I had Sonya. Being mobile she didn't care about, but she could hold a conversation with a thirty year old. I worried about her not crawling early enough, then not walking early enough, but eventually she did both of those things. Then I realized you can't worry about those milestones so much. They'll do it when they're ready. Bottom line. Even if it is almost 18 months before they take their first steps.
When she was two, she became a big sister. She learned to share us and her toys with Lana. Then again, 15 months later at three when Georgia surprised us all. She took it all in stride and has always been a big help to me with her sisters. She watches out for them as much as she fights with them. Hits are almost always followed by hugs, so I don't get too mad. She likes to mommy them as well as be their playmates. It makes it easier for me to have some help, even if I do have to discipline the help from time to time.
When it came time to send her to Kindergarten, we wrestled with what to do even though she made the age cutoff. We went ahead and sent her. She seemed to be doing really well, and that was confirmed today. Andy and I went to her parent/teacher conference this morning and all Mrs. Lombardo could do was talk about what a great girl she is. She's so nice to everyone, listens well and exceeds academic expectations in many areas. She complemented Andy and I on what a good job we've done so far, and assured us we made the right decision sending her when we did.
I couldn't have been more proud of my daughter and of us. Hearing that made me more proud than any other compliment I've ever received. We try so hard as parents to do everything, and do everything right, but you just don't know what the end result is going to be. I know we've only scratched the surface on raising her, but it's nice to know that in the first five years, we've done something right. I just hope we can continue to do as good a job with her and with her sisters.
Some days I think about that day she was born, and I feel like it was years ago while sometimes it feels like only yesterday. Recently, I was looking at a professional photograph we have of her from when she was about eleven months old, and I can't believe that she's even the same kid. She's so big now, with her own thoughts, opinions and expressions. She can jump and play, make her bed and almost tie her shoes. She tells jokes and laughs, and still cries. Sometimes a lot, but she is a girl, after all. She can even read and write. The amount that she's grown in five years, absolutely amazes me. She's helped Andy and I to grow just as much.
I look forward to the next five years, and even though they'll be hard, the next five after that. Before I know it, she'll be packing her bags and heading off to college. That picture of the eleven month old baby will seem like a lifetime ago, while the day she was born will seem like a dream. So, for now, I'll enjoy her and all my girls as much as I can, and be proud of myself for finding something I'm really good at in life. Being a mom. Happy Birthday Sonya Lynne. Thanks for making my dream of being a mom come true and for being such an amazing little girl. I love you, forever.
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