Happy 9 Years

My second daughter Mia is about to turn 9 and each year that passes is like a badge of honor for me. At the time she was born, I had a 2 year old and my husband and I worked opposite schedules. We had no time for each other and our relationship was suffering. Mia was born into a rocky relationship. My marriage was in limbo, I was searching for something and I didn’t even know what it was. I was lost. Nevertheless, we were bringing this beautiful baby into the world. When she was born, she was such a good baby but I was truly unsure of our future. There was so much turbulence around and there were days where I contemplated leaving. Yes, this is terrible and it breaks my heart every time I think about it. But as painful as this time was, it was also a turning point in my marriage. We worked really hard on our differences. We made a lot of sacrifices and made the decision to love harder than ever before to make sure our kids could grow up surrounded by love and genuinely loving parents. It was not an easy feat because I was selfish, resentful and distracted. But we made it through. Since 2009, we’ve had some rough patches but all in all, it’s been a wonderful and interesting journey.

Every time I look at my beautiful Mia and every year on her birthday, I remember the hard times that we went through and I feel so thankful that we decided to make a go of it. She might never really know what our relationship went through before her but I will always do my best to give her the loving home and family that every child deserves. She is such a sweet and loving child, as are my two other daughters but she holds a special place in my heart because if not for her, our life would be so different. I could have lost my marriage but having her helped us realize that life is a gift and our relationships are to be treasured.

So Happy Birthday baby girl!!! We love you and appreciate you! Thank you for showing Daddy and I what it means to love unconditionally and for showing us that family is worth fighting for.