My Miracle - Charley laying next to a beanie baby.
Charley Elizabeth is my little miracle . She was born on March 7th 2003 weighing 2 lbs 9 oz.. She deified all odds proving the doctors wrong at every turn. I was told early on in my pregnancy that she was not growing and would likely pass away inutero. I was given the option to terminate the pregnancy and I declined - resulting in strict bed rest. I laid around from December till March waiting for my little girl to grow and grow she did - slowly but surely. I just kept praying "God if she is meant to be here please let it happen and if she is meant to be with You please help me find peace and comfort in that". I already knew from daily monitoring and ultrasounds that Charley had neurological abnormalities. After her birth/examination I was told she had two holes in her heart(ASD/VSD), corneal cloudiness(blind), hip dysplasia, contractures in her hands, and more sever neurological issues than originally thought. Charley went through daily poking and prodding, blood transfusions, and so much more. To this day I am in awe of how tough she is. Nothing had ever prepared me for the pain I felt watching Charley hurting. The statement "you never know how strong you are until being strong is your only choice" had never felt so true! I spent my time in the NICU cherishing every special moment with Charley and learning as much as I could from all specialist. I will forever be grateful to the tireless work of the NICU staff. In late May 2003, weighing 4 lbs. 10 oz., Charley came home and I started my life as a stay at home mom.