Blessed with one child but hoping for another, infertility was a trying and frustrating process. Infertility drugs, causing a large ovarian cyst … causing incredible abdominal pain. And then a laproscopic procedure trying to determine if I had endometriosis, where for whatever unknown reason I developed a hematoma that had to be surgically evacuated when my hematocrit kept dropping and the nurses got tired of picking me up off the floor (fainting from blood loss). Finally determining the cause of the infertility, which required me having to take large doses of Prednisone, which did not solve my infertility problem at all, but increased my appetite and waistline. And then the final blow … experiencing the loss of a child through miscarriage, we decided to give up on having a second child and be grateful for the one we did have. Blessed .. truly blessed.

And …. about a year later somehow, someway getting pregnant. And … suffering through morning sickness nearly throwing up in the sink as I was draining a can of tuna to make my kindergartener a tuna sandwich to take to school each morning, severe depression from the hormone changes, reflux to the point my husband went out and bought me a recliner to sleep in, swelling in my feet so bad I wore bedroom slippers the last month of my pregnancy. And … then I went into labor. Oh what a doozy of a labor did I have. Even with an epidural, because she was “sunny side up” and trying to birth toward my backside rather than my front side, the pain was excruciating. When she was born she experienced respiratory distress and it wasn’t until I heard the overhead page for “respiratory therapy stat to labor & delivery”, the doctor and all the nurses AND my physician husband leaving me on the birthing table and rushing over to the incubator, did I realize something might be wrong with my baby. Her first set of Apgar Scores were low. But that little peanut was meant to be in this world! She was a pain in the butt to get and have … literally and figuratively speaking, but since the day she was born she has been nothing but an absolute joy. We named her Miracle Meredith. She was perfect.

Celebrating her birthday each year fills this sentimental momma with such incredible joy. Oh don’t get me wrong, she went through her little teenage “I hate my mother”, mood swings and rebellion, but that’s not what this blog is about. This blog is about one of the two best blessings in my life (the other being her sister).

This girl .. she’s got style, talent and ‘tude! Humor, beauty and creativity! Sweet, thoughtful and polite! Should I go on? Of course there’s more!

Follow me through a montage of photos depicting all of the above adjectives which describe who she was and is today.

Lover of prunes (even babies have problems with their “constitution “), climbing the back of the couch and often times my leg in public due to shyness, animals (mostly kitty cats, but dogs, hamsters, and fish as well) and stylin’ and profilin’ in hats!

Power rangers and Legos and puzzles and Barney the Dinosaur … and, oh, did I mention hats?! And performing song acts such as Somewhere Over Da Rainbow and Twinkle Twinkle Little Stah using a hand weight or hairbrush as her microphone.

Indian Maidens, reading, writing and winning the Authors Conference award in elementary school, drawing and painting, performing dance and theater and anchoring the news at the NBC studio in New York City! And hats … more hats!

Cheering and softball, being silly and trying to learn to like meat (hence BBQ sandwich!) Climbing in the clothes dryer and pouting because it’s just not fair to her!

And making her parents proud (especially her alumni daddy!) graduating from Ole Miss with a degree in journalism.

Of course I could go on … but I think one gets my point which is … Happy Birthday to my Miracle Meredith! And … isn’t she lovely?!

Isn’t She Lovely

(Stevie Wonder – wrote this when his daughter was born)

Isn’t she lovely, isn’t she wonderful, isn’t she precious, less than one minute old. I never thought through love we’d be, making one as lovely as she. Isn’t she pretty  truly the angel’s best. Boy, I’m so happy we have been heaven blessed. I can’t believe what God has done, through us he’s given life to one. But isn’t she lovely … made from love.