A Mother's View: Amy

My LM baby is turning 1 year old today! It seems like it was only a few months ago that I was bringing her home from the hospital and getting used to our new life with her in it. I remember wondering what my daughter would be like while she was still inside my belly. Would she be energetic, lively, or the life of the party? Would she be like my son and not know a stranger? Maybe she would be more quiet and reserved, or shy when she encountered new people? I was always so worried about her while I was pregnant. Would she have 10 fingers and 10 toes? Would she be pretty? Funny? Healthy?

To look back on the past year and all that we have gone through as a family to get her this far, to her first birthday.. I don't know how we did it. The first few months of no sleep, the constant worry at night when the baby monitor was silent. Most parents would find the silence comforting, knowing their child was resting peacefully. But not this mother. The less I heard her noises, the more I worried. Was she still breathing? I would lay awake in bed when I should have been sleeping, watching the monitor to see the rise and fall of her tiny torso. Sometimes it was so slight of a movement that I could swear she wasn't breathing and I would have to sneak into her room and place my hand on her belly just to make sure.

A healthy child is something that most parents take for granted. Now that Hannah is older, and has mostly outgrown her LM, I try to be thankful for every day that she is healthy and symptom free. During this past year, I have learned not to stress about delayed milestones, or compare her achievements to other babies her age.There will always be some kind of milestone that Hannah will have to conquer and I know that she will take her time with all of them just to make mommy worry. I am okay with that. She might have to work harder than other children to do the same things, but I know that she will succeed when SHE wants to. Whether it is drinking from a cup or taking her first steps, I will be there to support her when she decides it's time.

Happy 1st birthday Hannah banana!

Mommy loves you so much!!