8 Years of Awesomeness

It is actually hard for me to write about my rock stars 8th birthday.  Don't get me wrong, it was a glorious weekend.  I kept thinking of my sweet little girl getting put in my arms for the very first time after 29 long hours of labor.  Holding a baby that small and knowing she was mine took my breath away.  We have gone through so many computers since her birth so I don't have any pictures of her that small to share, I actually don't think we had a digital camera back then either, haha.  But you will have to take my word for it, my girl was the best looking baby ever born in 2002!!!!  I think of all the special days we have spent celebrating her birthdays.  From her first birthday while daddy was deployed all the way up to last year when my sister and her kids were down and we celebrated all together for the first time.  And then there was this year.  I feel blessed to be back home and be able to have family surround my sweet one.  It melts my heart to see my family love my girls.  To embrace with hugs and kisses and know it is true and genuine and my girls are loved unconditionally.  But I just couldn't get it out of my head, this is her first birthday of sorts, her first birthday as a child living with Epilepsy.  She has had a long 9 months.  Ups and downs, new meds, hospital stays, tests, needle pricks, seizures and horrid headaches that take it all out of her.  I don't think she felt anything different from any of her other celebrations and I am thankful for that.  I actually didn't think about it until we had to stop to take medicine or make sure she was ok while she tried to stay up all night with her friends to party, it was the days leading up to that special weekend that worried me.  What if this one is different?  What if she has too much sugar and has a seizure, what if she stays up too late and the next morning because of the sugar and being sleep deprived, she has a seizure.  And none of that happened, thank the Lord nothing happened, but it was a constant thought.  Life has just changed so much for her and for our family in the last 9 months and I guess I am just not used to all of it yet and wonder if I ever will be.  And as I said before, none of my bad thoughts happened, but do you want to know what did happen?  She was loved.  She was surrounded by family singing Happy Birthday at one of her all time favorite restaurants.  She danced hand in hand with her sisters and parents to a band outside of Disneyland.  She saw fireworks on her way home and actually thought Disneyland did it just for her to end her perfect night.  Of course we told her they did, even if she knows they happen all the time, we have actually made trips to my Aunts house to see them before, but for that night, they were for her.  She had friends come over with smiles and sleeping bags and they stayed up half the night being 8 year olds.  She woke up with said friends to enjoy the most unhealthiest of breakfasts followed by a very un-nutritious dinner prepared by her and her momma.  And she rocked out like Taylor Swift with her new pink rock star guitar which she feels will make her a rock star one day.  And it will happen.  Why?  Because she is amazing.  Because she can have a tragic morning 9 months ago, followed by 9 months of pure hell not knowing what the future holds for her and still have the worlds sweetest soul.  She sees everything with rose colored glasses and they are beautiful rose colored glasses.  She will be your best friend and greatest fan no matter who you are because she loves life and besides her dream of being a rock star, she just wants to smile and be happy.  So, to my sweet girl who has given me 8 blissful years of happiness, Happy Birthday, may you continue to brighten our lives and teach us how to be better people.  I love you!!!!!