She scared the hell out of us, those first few days. They called it a stroke.
They saw her seizing in the nursery.
Just 4 days in the NICU.
But the seed of a lifetime of worry was already blossoming.

I have been with her for every second. 
I have watched her every breath, every move.
I monitored each milestone to make sure she hit them all.
And, she did. 

Other kids who experienced what she did weren’t so lucky.
Other parents were faced with mountains to climb,
And we, we just had a little bump in the road.
Sometimes I feel guilty about our happiness.

She had a stroke of luck,
While others were faced with extreme hardship. 
We wake every day knowing that our easy days are a miracle.
Even on our hardest days, we’re doing well.

We took her to kindergarten on September 6th.
She walked up so proud with her little backpack on and her headband in her hair.
In that moment, I yearned for the days when she didn’t want to wear a headband.
She’d fight me on putting anything in her hair, so I let her be.

The days when she stomped around the house talking gibberish, wearing only a diaper with crazy bed head. 
The days when we didn’t need to adhere to anyone or any schedule.
The days when it was just us. Me and my girl. 

She’s my first, my only girl.
She’s been there from the start for all of us.
She’s steadfast and brave, kind and confident. 
She has a world of wonder swimming in her big blue eyes.

She has a heart so big, her love seems endless.
And now, we send her out into the world.
Sounds over dramatic, it’s just kindergarten…but also, it’s KINDERGARTEN.
Have I prepared her enough? Or have I held her close too long?

So many new worries and questions swarm in my mind.
But, we must sit back and watch her blossom. 
We must trust that she’s ready.
We must let her know we are right there with her.

Even if we aren’t in the room, we are in her heart.
It’s not only a new phase for her, but for us all.
We all feel a little lost during the day without her.
But she, she knows exactly where she’s going.