Six!!!!!!

Six years ago today, Camille came into this world with breathing problems. A slight touch of pneumonia after she was delivered by emergency C-section kept her in the hospital for several days.

I went to the nursery with her as Susan recovered from the surgery. Camille shook uncontrollably as the nurses tried to keep her warm. When they determined that she needed to go to the NICU, I nearly lost it. Later, seeing her little body with tubes and wires attached scared me more than finding out my father needed quadruple bypass surgery nearly eight years ago or anything that’s happened to me in my entire life.

But Camille got better and grew stronger quickly. Five pounds at birth, she’s still a smidgeon of a thing. But she’s no longer gasping for breath. She’s taking in great big heaping gobs of air to fill our ears with joy and laughter, only a small portion of which we’ve shared here. It’s no wonder we – inadvertently – named her after a hurricane.

So what do I do this morning? Despite her asking me how many days left before her birthday since, oh, the beginning of August, I forgot to wish her a happy birthday this morning.

I had to get to work early so that I could run a few errands later today. Once I arrived, I called home and asked Susan if I could talk to Camille. Then I sang Happy Birthday to her.

Afterward, all I heard was the cutest little giggle. Susan said she was beaming.