On December 21st, 2009, Ali came into the world. I remember the excitement leading up to her delivery, the silence in the room when she was born and every second of the 6 weeks that followed like it was yesterday.

This is a hard time for me. I relive it every year. I knew the moment she was born that there was something different about her. I knew deep down inside that life was going to be hard. I knew immediately that everything had changed but I also knew that I loved her and that I’d do anything for her. I managed to stay in denial for a while but I learned several very hard lessons over the next few months and went through some really scary things. I sat by myself and watched Ali literally fight for her life and she almost didn’t survive. Many children wouldn’t have survived that. That was the night that Ali proved for the first time but certainly not the last that she was going to defy the odds.

Ali spent her first two years pretty much just surviving. She spent her third year charming people, making everyone love her and showing all her new friends what she’s made of. This year, her fourth year is the year that I think she really started living.

Let me tell you about who Ali is now. Ali is a little girl who can’t sit still. Since learning to walk just after her third birthday, Ali has been into EVERYTHING! She now walks forwards, backwards, sideways and with her eyes closed just for fun. Ali decided in January of 2013 that she would like to be potty trained and in a weekend she was. Ali’s two favourite things in the world besides her family are “Hello Kitty” and gymnastics. Our beautiful girl walks proudly across the balance beam (with assistance), jumps off the vault on to a crash pad and can hang from the rings all on her own. I have heard several times that her progress in the gym is nothing short of incredible. Ali loves to help out around the house. She helps to feed the dogs, she helps with laundry and she helps unload the dishwasher. In September, Ali started a second preschool program so she now goes to school Monday afternoon, all day Wednesday and Friday morning and she loves it! This year, Ali learned all her body parts and her primary colours. Ali learned how to stand up in the middle of the floor, how to stack blocks, lace beads, do a lace card, do wooden puzzle, do a simple shape sorter, to play picture bingo and many, many more fun things. Ali now has several words and is learning new ones all the time. She’s started using two word sentences and will happily announce, “Mommy home” or “Daddy Home”, when Jason or I arrive after being out. She also eats! She loves avocados, yogurt and bananas. She hates white potatoes, pureed meat and anything containing either of the two preceding items. She can tell if there are potatoes in something instantly! She loves to laugh and she is the happiest, most social, funniest little child I have ever met. She has a smile for everyone and loves to say, “Hi” if someone smiles at her. Ali is an incredible gift. What a privilege it is to be her mom. It’s not always easy but it’s amazing and there is absolutely no question that it’s all worth it. I don’t know what the future holds but I know that she was meant to be ours. I am thankful every single day that she’s here. Happy Birthday to my beautiful and amazing baby. There aren’t enough words in the whole universe to say how much we love her.