Letter to My Birthday Baby Girl: 4 Years Old

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Darling Liv, 

    You came to us after a rough storm. Our rainbow baby...8 pounds 2 ounces of God's faithfulness and evidence that He keeps his promises swaddled in a pink blanket. You were the newborn baby that should have been crying, but I was the one with the tears streaming down my face while singing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" in that lonely NICU. I fought so hard for you...before your were even conceived, in the OR during your birth, and in the hospital bed pumping and desperately trying to get those first few drops of breast milk through your NG tube.

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Your name means "life." And interestingly, it also means peace. You have given me both. And so has the Lord. I feel like our family has been in a constant season of "hard" since your birth, and you have been the joy, the laughter, and the delight that we all needed in order to push on...me, your dad, your sister, your brothers, Nana & Papa...we all needed you the past four years. 

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Liv loves:

-make-up

-nail polish

-arts & crafts

-baby dolls

-making messes

-mermaids

-unicorns ("loonicorns")

-swimming

-all things pink

-anything sparkly

-doing hair

-face and beauty products

-her "ba ba"

-going to the park

-grilled cheese sandwiches

-strawberries

-whipped cream

-dessert or anything sweet

-dancing

-Taylor Swift

-talking to "Alexa" in the kitchen

-sprinkles

-riding her scooter ("cooter")

-Barbies

-earrings

-watching "Di Di" or Adley on YouTube

-playing with her friend Lucy

-going to tumbling

-writing her name

-coloring

-playing Donkey Kong with mommy

-taking baths

-the beach

-playing with Cece

-snuggling with Russell

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I can't stop crying because of how grateful I am, my precious baby girl. Happy 4th Birthday, my darling. I will savor every single moment of your life.

I will always love you, Mommy