Happy Birthday!

Well, it's finally here.  A day that I remember thinking might never come.  Today was pretty uneventful as far a birthdays go.  She had her therapy, that went the same as it has the other days this week.  A lot of crying and reaching for me.  This has been a tough week for her and I, but she is making progress, slowly, and so we will truck on through the next three weeks.  I'm so happy to see my little Elise turn two today.  I starting thinking of which photos to put on the blog today.  I started looking back to the days after her birth.  It's hard to look at everything again.  I mean I replay all the events in my head almost on a nightly basis, but to look at them in color, on a screen.  All my emotions come back that I was feeling on those days.  Smells of the NICU, sounds of the alarms, and the feel of her skin and hair.  I was going to do a photo montage of all of you who were able to come visit us in the hospital and once we got home.  But the number of pictures grew to a undo-able amount.  So I will just invite you, if you want, to look back at those first days, and remember with me how close we came so many times to losing our little Elise.  And remember how strong she was through everything.  And know that because of ALL of you, Jason and I were able to keep up our strength and make it too.  I'm not trying to be sappy, but I do want all of you to know how much I appreciate everything each of you have done for us.  We have an amazing family, and group of friends.  And thank you to everyone who supported our family members as well.  I know they needed your support too.  Elise has made more progress over the last two years than any of us thought she would (could) do.  She is the happiest child I have ever met, and doesn't know a stranger.  I am truly lucky to have such a wonderful, beautiful, delightful daughter.  Thank you for all your happy birthday messages, cards, and gifts.  And thanks for keeping up with my blog.  I'm glad you guys enjoy it.  The pictures I posted are of her in therapy today eating from a spoon and drinking from a straw.  The straw is in a container that we squeeze to get the liquid to come out since she doesn't know how to suck through a straw.  And I included one of her crying, just for fun.  I promise on her third birthday I won't get sappy again.  Love you all so much, Kristin.