June 14, 2006 by Amy

Birthday Ferns for Shawn

Y’all almost didn’t get a blog post tonight. We were without power until moments ago. And it’s a good thing it came back on because yours truly was hyperventilating. “Must…blog…tonight. Must…post…birthday message…to…Uncle Shawn!”

It took me until mid-morning to realize that Zozo now has two uncles with birthdays on June 13. Today, her Uncle Shawn turned the big 3-0. Warm birthday wishes to Shawn…we hope you had a wonderful day and we can’t wait to celebrate with you at your bash on Friday.

I would’ve posted at lunch, but I was runnin’ almost from the moment I got in this morning, and didn’t stop until after Zoe’s appointment with her pediatric orthopaedist this afternoon. It’s been three months since her last visit, and this was another check-up to make sure her hips are developing properly. For those of you not in the know, she has a mild form of hip dysplasia due to being breech. They knew to look for it before she was even born, so we’ve been monitoring it all along. She had to wear a little velcro harness for awhile that kept her legs in the proper position for development, and she was a little champ throughout the whole thing. Today’s visit confirmed that everything is going along as planned, and they will see her again several months after she starts walking on her own.

This is very good news for us, as I’ve been worried for months now that she might need surgery later. It freaked me out to think of my little girl having to undergo surgery. I know parents all over the world deal with it every day, and my heart goes out to them and their children.

My mom told me once, a long time ago, that once you become a parent you learn what it feels like to walk around with your heart outside your body. I didn’t know what she meant until I had Zoe, and had to go back to work. Every day I leave my heart with her at Grandma’s, and I go about my day feeling a bit empty inside, until I come home, see her grin, and feel whole again. Hey Mom, thanks for giving up your heart for me and Beano. I love you!

Okay, well, M and I agreed that we have to go to bed at a decent hour tonight, so I’m ending this now in an effort to comply. I’m posting an old “nature” image of mine in honor of Shawn’s birthday. He’s a hunter, and loves being outdoors, so it’s my little tribute to him. Happy birthday, buddy. I’m so glad you’re a part of our family!

Shawn’s Birthday Ferns