It is so hard to believe that 6 years ago today, our baby girl was born. I remember it like it was yesterday. The doctors went on lunch break around 11:00am and said it would be that night before she was born. Not even 30 minutes had they gone on break did I have some serious contractions. When they walked back in the room and took one look at me...it was like a scene from ER. Nurses rushed in and equipment flying everywhere. Sophia came out so fast the doctor had to practically have a catcher's mitt to get her. She was like "I don't want to come out at night...i want to come out now!" And that is how she has been everyday of her life since. Very independent and always on the run!!

When the Nurse left me that night with her alone...I was terrified. No one told me how to be a mom. You can read all the books you want. I must have had a look of panic on my face... I asked the nurse "What if she stops breathing...what if she doesn't eat? how do I make her stop crying?"

The Nurse smiled and said...you will know. If I wasn't so tired after having a baby...I would have kicked that nurse in the pants!!. But, 6 years later...I now know what she meant. I did know...somewhere...the instinct kicked in.

S is our little actress, singer, swimmer and now...she loves to catch bugs!!. Just the right mix. Likes to be girlie, but, knows how to be rough and tough. She wants to learn karate. Thats my girl!! ;) When anyone sees her..the always comment on how we look so similar. And if anyone knew me from my childhood...the almost gasp. The reason is she looks identical to me as a child. She is just as chatty as me, independent as me, hyper as me and sometimes those traits drive me up the wall. But, I end up laughing because I was exactly like her!!. My parents laugh all of the time. They just grin and say "Uh huh.... now you know..."

She is the apple of my husbands eye. He adores her like you wouldn't believe and she adores her father like crazy!! All 3 of them do. They worship the ground he walks on. It makes me proud to have a husband like him. He is such a great influence in their lives. I had to go through a lot in life before I met him. And it was so worth it, because now I know what a treasure truly is.

S has an old soul. She can see things and feel things that a child her age doesn't typically see or feel. She is very spiritual. She talks a lot about God and how HE is always protecting us. The things that she says amaze me.

See.....S brought so much Hope into my life. She wasn't a planned baby...like when you use the fertility monitor and stuff like that. She decided that she was going to be in our life. I was on the pill. She was determined to get here. And thank the good lord she did. She changed my life in every way.

Each of our children have taught me valuable lessons. S taught me how to have Hope. M taught me about Life and N has taught me about ME. They may make me want to pull my hair out somedays when they are fighting and screaming. But, I am eternally grateful to have three beautiful gifts from God.

I will never know what I did in life to get so lucky.

Happy Birthday S....You are my sunshine!!