Two

Friday 5 April 2013

Four months ago it didn't seem possible, but Little S turned two today!

Of course we made a fuss of her in the way that all parents do when their baby has their second birthday: we showered her with presents, we put up happy birthday banners and balloons, we helped her open her cards from friends and family, we made sure that she was having lots of fun and getting loads of attention.

But there was something else going on with Little S's second birthday, something that made it feel like we had something to celebrate beyond a family birthday - a milestone reached that we didn't think we'd get to just a months before, a celebration that perhaps might never have happened.

And so, 
After the presents, 
And after the wonderful party we held two days later in which so many of Little S's friends came to have fun and make our house buzz with joy and sunshine, 
And after we'd all sung children's songs together with a sing-along mummy and a guitar-playing daddy, 
And after Little S blew out the candles on her birthday cake (handmade as a giraffe looking like the number two) with a blow that looked as good as any toddler's should be, 
And after Little S had said goodbye to our wonderful friends as they headed home, 
The family stayed behind (to help clear up, to have a cup of tea or just because we lived there!) and, with a lump in my throat and a tear in my eye I opened a bottle of champagne and proposed a toast: 
To our little miracle girl, who's made it back from the brink and given us such great and wondrous cause for celebration and who we love so very, very much.

And yet, the funny thing is, that although the toast was poignant and memorable and moving, it was the weekend of celebration that preceded it that was so much more important.

Because as much as we might stop to think about how far Little S has come and how miraculous she is (which we should),
And as much as we might keep praying for her recovery from heart failure and for her to not suffer any further deterioration (which we must),
The thing we really, really have to do is to celebrate every single day with her, to live life to the full, to drink in every moment and to not miss a thing.
Because for all of us, when it comes down to it, living and loving life together, with the people that you truly love, is the only thing that really matters.

Na'aseh Nes L'Shoshanim