5/41: My Girl

My Girl is the bravest lil girl I know. To this day she amazes me.

She was born April 27, 2004. When she was 1 day old we found out that she had a congenital heart defect (CHD). She had a hole in her heart (we eventually found out that she had two). For her first year we hoped and prayed that it would heal on it's own. But in May 2005 we were told it would need to be repaired as it was causing problems with other parts of her heart.

She had open heart surgery on July 22, 2005. You can read all about this on her carepage (registration is required). I'm also planning to create a scrapbook/diary for her (I did keep a diary during this event).

This is a picture of her with her brother after she woke up from surgery...and then 3 days post-op. It's amazing to me how fast she recovered.

It seems that ever since this experience - even though she was only 1 year old, she can withstand just about anything.

This is not to say she doesn't get scared. She doesn't like to go into a dark room. She's not crazy about being alone in a room (other than her bedroom). She gets scared when a movie is scary.

But she is brave.

We went to Six Flags this year (for the first time) and My Boy could not wait to go on a rollercoaster. It was ALL he talked about. But once we get to the front of the line...or sometimes just seeing the ride up close...he would have nothing of it. But not My Girl - she was game (& she's only 4 for pitys sake!). As long as I was holding her hand - she was a brave as a 4 year old can be.

I've given it a lot of thought and I think it is a matter of trust. I'm not sure how much of her early hospital experience has affected her psyche - but she's very trusting and knows that I won't put her in a situation I don't think she can handle. And she trusts us. It's a great feeling to know that she is so brave and feels safe. Man, I love That Girl!