When Liv was born, I remember thinking to myself- “wow, that’s not at all how I wanted or expected our winter break to go.” Instead of enjoying the last few weeks of my pregnancy, I spent every moment I could visiting my sweet girl in the NICU. From the very beginning, Olivia has had such a brave and tender heart. I will never forget how strong she was in those early days.
I find myself saying almost the exact same words five years later. We spent Christmas Day in the ER with Olivia as she has been fighting off some sort of crazy, seasonal bug. It has been a long, long week, friends. Not a bit of sleep, quite a few tears, many cancelled family gatherings, lots of snuggles, and a process of figuring out exactly how to help her. The light in these tough moments: my girl’s unending bravery. Fingers are crossed that she took a turn for the better today! Her first request when she perked up a bit? To paint. She got right to work creating rainbows and hearts.
Liv’s one big wish from Santa this year was a stuffed animal unicorn. My darling girl, you help me see rainbows everyday. YOU are magic to me. Happy 5th Birthday, my beautiful Olivia Rose.
A big thank you to our photographer, Tiffany Henning of TH Photography & Design, for these incredible photos! The session was pure magic for my girl. Every so often, Liv will remind me with wide eyes, “Mom, do remember when I met a real unicorn?” I’ll treasure these pics forever!