Jersey #2

Jersey #2 is a living miracle. Everything about her defies our logical limits. She was our only "surprise" baby. My heart was already wishing for another child. The Referee and I attempted an intellectual conversation about the best spacing of children...but it was of no use...I was already pregnant with her, and did not know it at the time. Her conception did not follow the "window" of my well-tracked cycles....and the entire pregnancy continued with the possible statistical error of 1 week. According to my cycle, she was a week behind in growth, but the early ultrasound sided with my calculated conception date. That week difference was just the thing we needed to be able to induce labor at 40 weeks, on the grounds that she could also be a week overdue.

Ironically, my healthiest, easiest, most textbook pregnancy was with Jersey #2. There was not a single identified complication or concern with her health or mine. Hers was also my simplest, smoothest delivery. I chose to be induced. I chose to get an epidural at 4cm. I slept through labor. I woke up and pushed her out just as the epidural was wearing off. She looked great right from the start, and nursed like a champ. In spite of having a loud heart murmur at birth, she showed no other signs or symptoms of heart trouble.

Jersey #2 was the easiest baby on the face of the planet (except for that whole heart-defect stress). She was a very efficient nurser who ate quickly and grew big. She preferred to sleep on her back, on her own in the bassinet (not in our bed), with her hands up next to her head. She came home from the hospital sleeping for 4-hour stretches, and proceeded to lengthen her sleep even more as the weeks went by. When she was awake, she was the happiest, most easy-going child. She was an absolutely delightful infant.

Jersey #2 is a beauty. She was born with all of the best features found on my side of the family. She has BIG, blue eyes, long, thick lashes, dimples, and dark brown hair. In spite of having two extremely pale parents, Jersey #2 has skin that will tan.

She has the best personality for having to endure such extensive medical care. She is tough, sweet, and accepts her burdens in stride, appreciating all of the positives along the way. She makes friends with everyone she meets, regardless of age, but is convinced that all children her own age are her "best" friend. She pays close attention to every detail of her care, and knows what to expect and who to trust. She will comply with her medical care providers as long as they are honest with her at all times. She is very direct in her verbal skills. When she was 3 years old, she informed an oral surgeon that she was the very last person in his waiting room. Having never met him before, she looked him right in the eye and said, "You made me go last!" He was speechless.....and smitten....like just about every other health provider who encounters her. She wears her chest scars as a badge of honor, and is happy to know that so many people pray for her health.

After raising such an easy-going infant, we were not prepared for Jersey #2 to become an active toddler. We wrongly thought our home was already baby-proofed after having Jersey #1. Well, Jersey #2 forced us to baby proof all over again, because she sought more danger. Pressure-mounted baby gates were no match to contain her. She simply shook them until the pressure released. When they fell to the ground, she would crawl right over the top of them and continue on her path. She was such a high-energy child that her cardiologist once jokingly asked, "Do you want me to ask the surgeon to put the hole back in her heart to slow her down a little?" Between the ages of 9 months and 4 years old, we were convinced that fear must be located in the heart, and her heart surgeon must have accidentally removed her fear when he fixed her heart defect. I did not believe Jersey #2 would make it to her first birthday without a concussion or a serious trip to the Emergency Room. She made my own heart stop on numerous occasions. She climbed and she jumped.....and she paid no attention to height, depth or safety. She did eventually break a leg. She was 4 years old and landed wrong after going down a slide....

The cast almost slowed her down. I verified with the doctor that he was really sure, when he said that she could walk on that cast as soon as she felt up for it. I don't think he was expecting her to be out on the soccer field, running and kicking a soccer ball before the 6 weeks was up. But, he had her all figured out immediately. When I asked if we should be concerned about the strength of her bones, considering how easily she broke her leg, his answer was that children who swing from the rafters will eventually fall and break something.

Jersey #2 greeted her new baby brother (Jersey #3) in an unusual way....she picked his nose.

She did not struggle with sibling rivalry, but she is not interested in being a caregiver either. She likes her siblings when she wants friends to play with, or when they are following her games. But, she is not one to be concerned over their boo boos, or helping them find their shoes or anything like that. She enjoys a brief holding session with babies, and is then ready to move on to more exciting things. She finds the misbehavior of toddlers to be highly amusing. She is our informer to make sure that none of her siblings get away with any behavior that is deemed punishable. Jersey #2 likes the structure of rules and consequences....but she tests those limits with every ounce of her strength. Staying one step ahead of her can be a full-time job.

Jersey #2 has a head for numbers. She is strong in mental math and musical rhythm. She did not start talking until she was almost 2. She was a very expressive grunter. The month she turned 2 years old, she suddenly started speaking in complete sentences, out of the blue. She just did not follow the natural language progression. She also potty trained herself. She would follow her big sister into the restroom and sit on the potty chair while her sister sat on the toilet. By imitating her sister, the concept just clicked with her one day. She has an understanding of things beyond what would be expected of someone her age. She seems to be able to think through the consequences of certain choices or behaviors... but will sometimes rationalize the consequence is worth it. She is a clever girl, convinced that she can outsmart the adults around her. She pays close attention to all the details. Whether she is being compliant, or looking for trouble, Jersey #2 does everything to the best of her ability, and with great joy.

Jersey #2 has her own sense of style. She loves to wear mis-matched socks. She loves bold, bright colored clothes. Her favorite color is rainbow. She went through the Princess phase of girlhood, but diverted from the standard course. Instead of the popular choices of Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty, Jersey #2 preferred Pocahontas and Snow White. She also likes to dress up as a pirate or a spy. Jersey #2 makes a great middle child, because she can be very girly along with her big sister, or rough-n-tumble with her younger brother, depending on her mood at the time.

Jersey #2 marches to the beat of her own drum, and she is the drummer. She does not spend much attention on the wishes of others. If she does not see eye-to-eye with her peers, she moves on and does her own thing. She has so much fun on her own, that she often draws the crowd back to her....and then proceeds to call the shots. I am challenged to try to bend the strength of her will toward good behaviors, and caring about the needs of others....while encouraging her to keep the level of independent strength that helps her endure times like this....

It is hard for a mother to know her child battles pain. It is just not fair. I also see that out of all of my children, Jersey #2 is created to overcome. She is built tough. After one medical test last year, Jersey #2 announced to her dramatic big sister, "It is a good thing you are not a heart patient, because it takes a lot of tough!" I am learning to embrace her strong-willed personality when it is testing my authority....because I know that she turns that same strength of will into determination to conquer her cardiology mountain.

She faces each health challenge head-on, without complaint. She pushes the limits of the textbooks. She dismisses the odds. She challenges the predictions of her cardiology team. She celebrates each amazing recovery.

Her very life is a miracle.