Helen's 6th Birthday

We celebrated Helen's sixth birthday this past week.  Six years ago we were ill prepared for the day she was born.  My husband and I were in the middle of a raging stomach bug that had left me incapacitated the previous 72 hours.  My husband had succumbed to it the night before her arrival, announcing at 6:00 a.m. that he was not leaving the bed. With full empathy for what he was experiencing, I started the day with the intent of allowing him the grace and support he had offered me the previous three days.  As I exited the shower sometime around 6:30 am my water broke.  Poor hubby dragged himself out of the bed as we quickly rushed to get two year old Little Philip to day care for the day and make the necessary phone calls to both sets of grandparents to begin their drive from out of town to meet us. Helen arrived a little after 2:00 p.m.. March 18, 2005, a healthy 7 pounds, 12 ounces.  She was supposed to arrive some time around April 6, 2005.  I still clutch my belly thinking about what another three weeks would have shown on the newborn scale.

Early.  If there is one word to describe Helen, that would be it.  She was our surprise gift from God, as we learned in 2004 that our silly earthly plans were out the door, and heavenly plans were in progress for us to become a family of four.  She was an early arrival on March 18, 2008.  And as any friends or family know, Helen is an early riser.  The only time she has ever slept until 8:00 am was due to a fever.  She is a planner, providing early instructions for her seventh birthday within minutes of her sixth birthday party ending. Writing letters to Santa on December 26th each year for the next year.   While the early rising is clearly inherited from her daddy, the early planning and execution of complex event coordination is most definitely inherited from her Type A mother.  

Happy birthday, Helen.  You are such a joy and light to us and everyone that knows you! 

Helen also saw Dr. Korf this week for her annual NF check up. While she has a few new harmless cafe-au-lait spots, common in children with neurofibromatosis, there were no concerns. Now that she is six, we are about a year away from being mostly out of the woods for any potential optic glioma tumors and plexiform tumors that usually present before age seven. Hooray for some good news and the ability to breathe a little easier as spring arrives!  But, as an expert planner and providing early communication for the Birmingham NF Walk, Helen reminds everyone that has not yet registered for the May 10th Birmingham NF Walk to do so today! Visit www.nfwalk.org/al to register or donate.