The day of Zarah's birth was a very much anticipated event for many reasons. If you have been reading my blog for a while you might remember some of the events leading up to it. The polyhydramnios diagnose followed by many ultrasounds, stress tests, and finally a scheduled c-section before 39 weeks. There are no words powerful enough to describe the joy and relief I felt the day when I could finally hold this perfect little being in my arms.
As I think about this past year, I am tempted to sit here and write about those glorious early days where she slept all the time and never had feeding issues, or the scary ones and how at two months old, the docs noticed somethings were not quite as they should and she had to go through test after test, after test. Only to find out many months later they could not find anything amiss. In the midst of all of that, this tiny little girl has taught me more about courage and strength than I could ever teach her. She is strong and fierce. She is determined and persistent. She is loving and kind. And so far, although she loves her daddy very much, she is definitely a mamma's girl.
This little girl is a fast learner. Although I have definitely not been as consistent with teaching her sign language as I was with her older brother she quickly picked them up. She can sign "more" and "milk" but also understands "eat" and "bath." Her spoken vocabulary currently consists of mainly two words "Mama" ("mamae" Portugese for mommy) and "Acuma" ("agua" Portuguese for water) but she occasionaly says "vovo" (Portuguese for grandma). She babbles quite a bit and makes a lot of sounds to refer to other things, I am sure we will start hearing more words soon. She loves to listen to music, especially if it has words to it. She has a powerful deep alto voice and I like to think she will be an amazing singer one day.
She is very curious and observant. she likes to closely inspect objects that are new to her turning them in her hands slowly and feeling all around them with her fingertips. She can do that for quite a while. She can also sit in one spot with some sort of bag and a couple of items for a good 10 minutes just putting them in the bag and taking them out, or taking things in and out of drawers or cabinets. She has figured out how to put lego blocks together and how to remove the screw top off of the toothpaste.
She is adventurous. She loves to climb on everything. Her brother's bed, the couch, the stroller, the tricycle, any box we might have lying around... if she can get her leg or feet on it, she will climb it. She is close to walking now. She takes two or three steps once in a while to go from place to place but still prefers crawling. Although I am in no way trying to hurry her toward walking I have a feeling that day is arriving real soon.
She is fearless and can stand up for herself. Although her older brother loves her dearly and longs to be in her presence all the time, he is still only 2 and not the most gentle at demonstrating his love. Regardless of the difference in size and strength, she is not afraid to let him know when she is bothered.
She is happy. She loves to smile. She loves. She is loved. She is my daughter.
I am incredibly proud of her. I admire her. She is a gift of God to our family. Our little ray of sunshine.
Today, is a celebration of the life of a precious little girl who has stolen our hearts forever. God, in His love and mercy, has turned our anxious tears and worries into moments of bliss. While the future is unknown to all of us, I can be sure that God will continue to care for her and guide her paths as He has done thus far.
