{"id":934,"date":"2013-06-16T13:51:57","date_gmt":"2013-06-16T13:51:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kandynolesstevens.com\/?p=934"},"modified":"2013-06-16T13:51:57","modified_gmt":"2013-06-16T13:51:57","slug":"one-tough-girl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.realsweetgrace.com\/blog\/?p=934","title":{"rendered":"One tough girl"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"erin<\/a>Dear Erin \u2013<\/p>\n

Today is your big day!\u00a0 (Not that we could forget since you provide us with exuberant reminders a few hundred times in June.)\u00a0 But it wouldn\u2019t be the same if you didn\u2019t, because that is you – our vibrant and energetic girl.\u00a0 I so clearly remember the day we met\u00a0as your birth story is one that we will never forget.<\/p>\n

Grandma, Granpa Junior, and Nanny all drove up to be here; so, we had a house full of love when we left for the hospital that day. Not one to sit around, Granpa organized the boys to help him with setting the footings for the deck; so, if you didn\u2019t know this, the sliding door and deck are the same age as you are.<\/p>\n

Most of the day at the hospital was pretty much the same as the boys\u2019 stories \u2013 a lot of waiting.\u00a0 Nanny arrived at the hospital fairly early because she did not want to miss out on being the first to meet you – which was, of course, like her.\u00a0 At the same time we were at labor and delivery, our family nurse was having surgery.\u00a0 I overheard her talking in the hallway, and that was my first sign that something was not going quite right.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is her third baby. . . this shouldn\u2019t be taking so long. What is going on?\u201d <\/i><\/p>\n

Neither she nor anyone else knew that I could hear her words, but since everything seemed normal I didn\u2019t worry.\u00a0 A friend from Daddy\u2019s work asked to be in on the delivery because despite being a three time momma herself, she had never witnessed the miracle of birth.\u00a0 Her request turned out to be a divine intervention. \u00a0When it appeared that it was close to \u201cgame time\u201d, we called her to come to the hospital.<\/p>\n

This is when things start to change.\u00a0 Suddenly a nurse comes rushing in and says, \u201cWe need to get her on her side NOW!!!\u201d\u00a0 Looking back, we remembered another nurse quietly slipped into the room and stood silent sentry between our eyesight and the monitors.\u00a0 The reason: \u00a0you no longer had a heartbeat, and they all knew something was terribly wrong.<\/p>\n

An oxygen mask, severe pain, and being held by nurses, Daddy, and our friend in a contortionist position, my mind was reeling with what was happening.\u00a0 Then the words that made the room go quiet were uttered by our normally cool and calm doctor. \u00a0(Keep in mind: he and Daddy watched golf during Sawyer\u2019s big entrance into the world)<\/p>\n

\u201cOh dear God, I see the face! The pushing is crushing the baby\u2019s heart.\u201d <\/i><\/p>\n

While no one said It aloud, the race to save your life was now on.<\/p>\n

You entered the world. In one swift motion, the cord was cut and the doctor scooped you up and ran with you. \u00a0Someone announced, \u201cIt\u2019s a girl.\u201d The wall of nurses surrounding the doctor, keeping what was going on out of our line of sight.<\/p>\n

No cry. No gasp of air. No first genteel introductions to our new daughter.<\/p>\n

First APGAR: 0 <\/b><\/p>\n

Questions come falling out of my wearied mind and\u00a0body.\u00a0 I could see the equipment they are using without being told what they are doing.\u00a0 Is she breathing? Did she aspirate meconium? What is going on? <\/i><\/p>\n

Second APGAR: 1<\/b><\/p>\n

In what felt like eternity, we finally hear you cry.\u00a0 There wasn\u2019t a dry eye in the room. The tiny girl who we have later learned has the will to push through anything proved in the first ten minutes of life that she was a fighter.\u00a0 We only held you for a few moments, during which time Nanny was so proud to meet you.\u00a0That bond between great-grandmother and great-granddaughter was one that never waivered from that moment on.\u00a0 You were always<\/strong> <\/em>her special girl.<\/p>\n

Our introductions were short lived because you were promptly escorted to respiratory intensive care where you stayed for the next four days.\u00a0 Grandma, Granpa, and the boys had to first “meet” you through the glass.<\/p>\n

It was the scariest moment of our lives.\u00a0 We didn\u2019t get to hold you, only your hand, because you couldn\u2019t breathe on your own.\u00a0 We didn\u2019t get to feed you \u2013 tubes and machines took the place of our snuggles. \u00a0And we played a waiting game to see if your lungs would be able to do it alone, \u00a0despite your rough start.<\/p>\n

But you showed everyone at Day 4 that you were and forever will be – \u00a0one tough cookie.\u00a0 They decided that you could go home (as long as we didn\u2019t leave town because they were certain that you would have to come back).\u00a0 You didn\u2019t!<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

The counseling provided to us said that you might struggle with lots of things \u2013 especially reaching developmental milestones and academic learning later on.\u00a0 Neither of which proved to be true!<\/i><\/b> They just didn\u2019t know what us Stevens are made of \u2013 a faith that doesn\u2019t give up and a vocabulary that doesn\u2019t include quit.<\/p>\n

You showed that despite all the studies and statistics for going that long without oxygen \u2013 you were (and are) extraordinarily awesome!\u00a0 Having two big brothers, you just never knew you were once a fragile baby, fighting to breathe.\u00a0 You were their constant shadow, and you would prove time and again that you wanted to be big like them.\u00a0 Nothing ever stopped you \u2013 and we are so glad that God gave us you.<\/p>\n

Happy 14th<\/sup> Birthday Erin!\u00a0 We love you like crazy! Momma<\/p>\n

PS \u2013 You know how you have on more than one occasion told us that you have Daddy wrapped right around your finger.\u00a0 It\u2019s true, and I have proof!\u00a0 On Day 4, when we were able to leave the hospital, a nurse was cutting off all your hospital identifications, and she accidentally sliced your pinky finger with a scissors.\u00a0 It was the first time that I ever saw your Daddy want to smack someone.\u00a0 With everything you had been through, it was too much for him. He fumed for days\u00a0that his precious baby girl\u2019s finger had been cut \u2013 every fiber of his being was offended.\u00a0 That tiny, wounded pinky finger has held him captive ever since.\u00a0 Good luck to any boy who ever wishes to hold that finger!<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dear Erin \u2013 Today is your big day!\u00a0 (Not that we could forget since you provide us with exuberant reminders a few hundred times in June.)\u00a0 But it wouldn\u2019t be the same if you didn\u2019t, because that is you – our vibrant and energetic girl.\u00a0 I so clearly remember the day we met\u00a0as your birth […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2],"tags":[61,90,145,146,204,273,312,514],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.realsweetgrace.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/934"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.realsweetgrace.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.realsweetgrace.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.realsweetgrace.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.realsweetgrace.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=934"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.realsweetgrace.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/934\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.realsweetgrace.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=934"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.realsweetgrace.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=934"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.realsweetgrace.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=934"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}