Addisyn Hope is 3!!!!!

When I look at myself in this picture, I remember exactly what I was thinking at the time. It was a Sunday morning, we were getting ready for church, and I asked Jason to snap a picture of my 35 weeks and 2 days pregnant self. I might have been smiling, but inside, I was scared. I wasn't worried about adding another child to our family, or what Evan and Payton were going to think....you know, all the things a mama getting ready to have a baby may think. I was terrified. I had known something wasn't right for a while. And looking back, I should have recognized that there was a problem. Not just a problem, but many problems. I was starting to have complications from Gestational Diabetes and though I didn't know it at the time, I was in the early stages of HELLP Syndrome. I was sick, really sick.

We went to church that morning, and I remember it so clearly. I remember where we sat. I remember praying - I needed the peace of the Lord. During praise and worship, we sang, "It is Well With My Soul." The second verse ministered to my heart:

Thou Satan should buffet,

Thou trials should come,

Let this blessed assurance control,

That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,

and has shed His own blood for my soul.

I had no idea how much I would cling to those words in the week to come. I haven't been able to sing them since, without getting tears in my eyes.

The next day, I was admitted to the hospital. My body was in starvation mode and my liver had enzyme levels as if I had taken a lot of Tylenol. I was scared. We were scared. The next four days I was on IV antibiotics, had mulitiple blood tests, and had quite a few organs ultrasound. We had to have two different ultrasounds for Addi too.  All leading up to a point where my doctor told me that Addisyn could either be born with brain complications or would not be born breathing. He told us to make a choice. Jason and I prayed as a couple and God gave us peace about having Addi the next day - a whole month early. We weren't given any hope that she'd be breathing on her own. Babies born to Gestational Diabetics have slower developing lungs. We expected her to go to the NICU. Shortly after we had peace about the decision we had made, my doctor came back into my room to tell me that my liver enzymes had shot up again, and that we no longer had a choice, that we were going to be having a baby in the morning. We were moved to L&D for monitoring and to be put on magnesium. Which by the way, is awful. It's terrible. It's bad. I was hooked up to a baby monitor, when Addisyn's heart rate started decelerating. My doctor didn't want me to waste any more time. We were going to meet Addi that night. There were approximately 15-20 people in the room when I had Addisyn. She had a resuscitation unit waiting for her. I had more doctors and nurses there than I could have counted, in part due to the crazy drugs I was given.

At 10:01 p.m. on June 11, 2009, Addisyn Hope was born breathing on her own! To God be the Glory!!! I'll never forget the nurse from the resuscitation unit turning around and smiling at me. She told me my baby girl was perfect.

Here is our tiny 5 lb 15 oz Addisyn Hope on the day she was born.

I think about the day Addi was born just about every day. I think about the miracle God gave us. I really don't think I could ever thank Him enough. I truly will spend the rest of my life thanking Him for that day.

Here's Addi a year later on her first birthday.

I love this picture of her and myself at her Lady Bug Party on her first birthday.

By her second birthday, we became fully aware of her spunkiness. Here she is at 2!

Tomorrow, Addi turns 3 years-old. God puts a spark of life into all of us, but our Addi, he filled with fire. She is so full of life and sass. Addi is the energy in our family. She makes us all laugh every day. She's very energetic and is very sweet. Once you have won Addi's heart over, she loves you unconditionally. Sometimes, winning her heart over takes some work. (This girl is so much like my mom, it isn't funny.) She loves to sing. She loves to swim. She loves to play outside.

Being Addi's mom has is such a blessing. I love this beautiful little girl so very much.

Happy Birthday Addisyn Hope!