A sneak peek into Sarah's early life

This was part of our adoption profile to the agency that we adopted our twins through in 2009 about Sarah.  I think that it is a representation of how I would describe our life with Sarah so far:

The original intent of discharge was hospice care and we applied for our foster license with this knowledge.  The weekend before she was to be discharged, Sarah became gravely ill with  cardiogenic shock.  The next few days were grimmer than before.  She was in need of an emergent heart surgery.  One that would undoubtedly in all clinicians minds be the last step for Sarah.  Her cardiac surgeon warned us time and time again that her chances were slim and that we should be prepared for the worst.  Our little girl, as we thought of her by then, would never be able to enjoy the wonders of life outside of the hospital.

She wouldn’t know the luxury of sink baths, puppy kisses, ride in a swing or most importantly, love that would be hers for as long as she was “ours.”  She would only know pain and tears.  She would only know of days and nights on her back.  She would only know the short hours that we spent with her in the hospital.

Sarah proved to all that she was stronger than ever expected.  She seemed to have a glow about her when she came back from surgery that fateful day.  She advanced through the postoperative course from her  mechanical aortic valve replacement faster than anyone thought possible.  Some say that she did so because her heart was stronger and functioned better.  We are convinced though that she knew she was loved and would be for years to come.

Everyday we see that spirit.  She is full of love and joy.  She experiences the world in the smallest amounts but lives larger than life with all of her experiences.  She finds joy in watching her puppy run through the house, belly laughs at the Count on Sesame Street and never tires taking papers out of Grandpa’s shirt pockets. 

She will inevitably bring that joy with her relationship with her new sibling.  She is enamored with anyone that comes into her world.  As all typical toddlers, she will have a difficult time with our attention being diverted from her but time will prevail and love will blossom.  Sarah will be a wonder to her younger siblings as she is to adults that she allows into “her world.”