Unexpected Surprises

By Stephanie

    Avery (actually all of us) has been struggling.  We decided to take a few day trip and go see my sister-in-law in Arizona.  Not that we need more sunshine.  We got plenty of that.  We just all need a mental break.  While we are there we are going to celebrate Hallie Dawn’s birthday.  She wants this cake.

Really?  I mean she is six.  Or going to be six tomorrow.  And we are already doing a five layer super fattening something….okay.  I even tried to change her mind with a chocolate Oreo one.  Nope. It has to be this one.    White Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecake Cake.

  Let me tell you a bit about Hallie.

  

Hallie was a total surprise to our family from the beginning.   We were living in Idaho at the time. Then on top of that Chris went to a Seattle Seahawks game three weeks before I was due.  Of course I went into labor…that night.  My friend Dawn took me to the hospital.  Now you need to understand my longest labor up till that point was four hours.  There was no way Chris would make a flight home by then.  But my little Hallie had other plans.  She waited and waited and waited for dad to get there.  I wasn’t progressing, but after having Avery at home on the floor (I know, a whole other story) I wasn’t going home either.  So Dawn and I walked the halls for hours!  Chris arrived and so did the epidural.  Then Hallie started to go into distress.  My body wasn’t quite ready, but the doctor decided she needed out.  So after a lot of pushing out came my too early partially blue baby.  They took her to the nursery and started her on oxygen.    It was 24 hours before she settled down and started breathing right.  Girl drama from the start.

   But since then she is our comic relief.  She doesn’t mind that I am gone all the time taking Avery to the doctor.  That just means she gets to go to friends houses and play.  Just fine by her. 

   The other day I was talking to Avery about Christmas.  I was encouraging her to pick something that would help her feel better. 

     Hallie pipes up, “I know what would make me feel better.”

      “Yeah, what would that be Hallie?”

      “A puppy.  A puppy would really make me feel better.” 

     “You are not getting a puppy.” 

     “Oh….ok.”  It was worth a shot.

Then yesterday Chris had the day off and we went together to drop her off at school.

   “I know what you are going to do when we are all at school.”

   Chris, “Yeah?  What do you think we are going to do?”

   Hallie, “You and mom are going to make out.”

   Chris (laughing), “I wish!”

  She sure is fun.  We don’t know what we would do without our fun Hallie Dawn.