I remember watching her come into the world 4 years ago. It was a great way to start the morning! Her mother had been on strict bed rest for 2 months prior because Penelope decided she'd like to come visit us right after the 2nd trimester. Thanks to her mother's determination and the good medical care she received, Penelope stayed put a bit longer and had more time to grow.
They suspected there might be problems so there was a team in place to work on Penelope as soon as she arrived. The birth went well. Her mommy didn't need any drugs to manage pain and got the job done like a pro! I was quite impressed with my daughter!
Penelope arrived rather quietly. As soon as she was born the team grabbed her limp little form and took her over to the bassinet to work on her. I remember standing there, waiting for her cry. I looked down and saw her parents both looking over towards their daughter, waiting. We were quiet in those moments while the team worked. Then she cried! Wasn't too loud but there she was and a collective sigh of relief went out.
Since then her parents became VERY familiar with the hospital as she had numerous health issues and needed a number of stays. I also became quite familiar with the hospitals as I worried about her and wanted to be supportive of her and her parents so I was there as much as I could be.
She was finally diagnosed with Weaver Syndrome and that helped clarify some issues and set things up so that she could get the help she needed. Sadly it didn't end the many hospital visits but they gradually eased over the years. (Fingers crossed!!)
Now she's 4 years old! She's a smiley, giggly little firecracker who makes me smile all the time! She rides the bus to school 3 times a week. Her teachers think she's the bee's knees! She doesn't have the ability to speak much yet but she uses some sign language and says Mama and Dada and can make cow sounds and pig sounds and other sounds when she's in the mood to cooperate with our games. She's very independent and bossy. She's smart and sneaky. She has mad skills with getting people to do what she wants without saying a word.
For example: She had her birthday party yesterday and decided it was time to go into the other room to play. She, waving her arms to say c'mon, got everyone at her party to get up and go to the other room. It was like a migration! I also noticed she can get her mommy to give her an Oreo with a cute face and hugs and kisses.
She thinks I need help moving my computer mouse and will sometimes place her hand over mine and push it around and click while I'm trying to play computer games. Apparently I'm not doing it up to her standards. Makes being a gamer somewhat interesting sometimes.
She and her mommy live with me right now. I wasn't sure how I'd like living with a little person again after all these years but it turns out I like it just fine. She entertains me with her shenanigans! I open the washing machine to start a load and find her toys in there. I sometimes find them in the microwave oven. I get cuddles and giggles most nights when we have our snuggle time. She keeps trying to crack my password so she can get into my computer. She sits down, pulls out the tray, turns it on, clicks on either my or her mom's icons and starts typing. The other day she sent me a text on her mom's phone. Since it was gibberish I figured it was her and mommy hadn't noticed she had the phone unlocked.
She loves books. All books. Big ones without pictures fascinate her about as much as her books do. She just plain likes them.
She's a finicky eater. She likes anything sweet tho is suspicious of apple crisp. She will eat many things as long as they are in a quesadilla format. She likes mac & cheese or any pasta with a red sauce on it. She loves a good PB&J also. Her mom told me they'd already eaten the other day when I got home so I made myself a sandwich which Penelope then helped me eat with great enthusiasm! I kept looking at her thinking..."you ate already...right".
Anyway, on this day, Penelope's 4th birthday, life is pretty great! She's robustly healthy, happy and enjoying life and making the lives of those around her brighter! She had a rough start but Nelly is showing us all how to enjoy life now!
Happy, happy birthday to Penelope!! So happy you're here in our lives!! Love you Peanut!!
Here are some pics of Penelope thru the years...
