One Fish, Two Fish, Olivia's Birthday Wish

Happy 2nd Birthday Olivia!



Miss Olivia is indeed two years old as of 3:17 this afternoon.  Two whole years, one heart cath, two open heart surgeries and a whole lot of living.  To think that Liv came into the world quacking like a duck and whisked off to the NICU immediately after delivery has now grown into a solid, inquisitive, stubborn toddler is just a miracle to behold.  She is so full of life and has even more personality than I knew a kid could have without having a huge vocabulary.  As one of her uncles worded it best this past week "For a little girl that doesn't say many words, she sure communicates exactly what she wants".  Ummm yes, my girl is not shy about what she dislikes and even more about what she likes. 

Today in honor of her birthday Livvy had both parents at her disposal and we took her to the Shedd Aquarium.  I thought she'd be super excited given that Fish is one of the words that she knows, recognizes upon sight and loves her little pet fish Valentino.  Even I couldn't have predicted how happy she would be to see all the exhibits, sometimes underestimating even my own child.  And love she did, when she was finally turned loose into the very first gallery, she ran up to the huge tank and hugged it.  As she saw fish and penguins, she made sure to give her Dad and I each a hug and kiss as if to say "Thank you, this is the BEST day ever!".  Heartmelting for sure. 

I can't even summarize what this past year has been like to watch her change on a daily basis, but amazing is about as close as I can get.  No medical intervention, no really sicknesses, just fun and life in general.  Every day with Olivia is a blessing and can't be taken for granted, now ask me again when she's doing her little foot stomping and screeches; hopefully my answer won't change. (Wink). 

For now, I'll leave you with a few pics of the amazing transformation that's happened over the course of the last 24 months.