That's my Daughter

When you give birth to premature babies, you don't always get to hold them right away. This was what happened in our case. After each baby was pulled out they were swept away to their respective incubators to get assessed and hooked up to oxygen. One of the last organs to complete development are the lungs. The yogi in me is fascinated by this because in yogic traditions your breath or pranyama literally means life. For this reason, I wasn't able to hold any of my babies right after their birth.
The next day, I got to hold Sofie first. There is nothing in this world that compares to carrying a person inside of you and then holding them in your arms to meet them for the first time. It is heaven.
One of our nurses told us that the strongest premature babies are African females, second to them are Caucasian females. The weakest premature babies are Caucasian males; which speaks volumes and doesn't need any further deliberation. My sister was born at 28 weeks gestation in 1984, without all of the technology that is in NICU's today. She is one of the most interesting, intuitive and bright people I know. She was an English and Political Science major, she also has her law degree. She is an old soul, wise beyond her years (even as a child). You would never know she was born weighing 2 lbs. 9 oz. fighting for her life. I knew that our Sofie was going to make it through with flying colors, just like Auntie M.
After about 24 hours, the doctors realized that she didn't really need to be on oxygen at all; she had her pranayama all figured out. She was breathing a smooth, calm breath on her own, all 2 lbs. 13 oz. of her. She opened her eyes and was looking around after a few days. The first time I tried breast feeding her, she latched on immediately and started sucking (back off lactation specialists, this is how we roll!). Her alarm next to her bed that tracked her vitals hardly ever sounded.
It seemed that this little bug had been prepared for this whole "life" thing.
Her features remind us so much of her dad. Her porcelain skin, sky blue eyes and curly blonde hair are nothing like mine. Her little body, is a fireplug - all mommy. 

Sofie at 8 months old

Pun-kin at 14 months

 Sofie is funny, sweet and I sense that she is already set out to please (also like her dad). I hope to rub at least some of that out of her though! She blows kisses, says 'hi' and loves to have all 4 of her blankets about her in her crib. She tosses herself onto anything that looks comfy and burrows right in. She bounces sometimes just when she is standing around, yells out of no where and knows where her head, nose and tummy are all located. She was the first to crawl and walk. She does pull ups on the side of the playpen and motor boats around on her bike ringing her bike bell. She is stubborn, very stubborn. Which I can appreciate. I  love that she has this quality. It's given me many amazing experiences, accomplishments, insight, knowledge and a husband to boot!
I love my boys, don't get me wrong, but there is just something about this girl that I can't get enough of. Her personality is one that draws people to her (yes even as a 1 year old). I hope she chooses me to be one of her best friends, because it would be an honor.