Happy Birthday!

Yesterday was Annie's 2nd birthday! Another year has gone by and, thankfully, this year has been so much easier for our little Annie. Yes, she still needs daily meds to help her lungs along but we are looking at an Annie who is stable and thriving. She is running around, scraping her knees, barking out orders, and smiling from ear to ear. Those smiles are not new. They kept me going night after night when she was struggling but still managed to flash me one of those high wattage smiles. I have to be honest (and a little selfish for a minute). Birthdays are a little hard. Each year I am reminded that my body gave up and I wasn't able to give Annie the time she truly needed to mature. She was in for the fight of her life. A fight she has kicked ass in. I just deeply regret that she has had to fight it. It's self indulgent, I know, but I think it's important to share those feelings too. More importantly, we ended the day with a happy girl with a chocolate cake face. That is, after all, what birthdays are all about. Especially when you are Feisty Little Annie.