Happy 1st Birthday

A few days ago, on February 17th, we celebrated Arabella's first birthday. WOO HOO!

Yes darling, you turned ONE!

For most preemie parents, this day marks the one year anniversary of the trauma. It can be a day of mixed emotions, and a lot of parents have a difficult time celebrating, while some don't even celebrate at all...

For us, however, things were a little different. We were all about celebrating! 

There were no tears, and there was no stress...

Because for us, this day marks Victory Day...

On this day last year we conquered our doubts and fears, and Arabella beat the odds.

And today we can't imagine a world without her.

She's God's child. A testament of true love and faith. She also happens to be the hero of this wonderful story...

How lucky were we to have witnessed this miracle? I think about this question all the time...

God has a plan for you Arabella...

He has a plan for us all...

So, my dearest Arabella...

One year is officially behind you, and so much more awaits. On life's long journey, I want you to remember that there will always be obstacles along the way. The journey is made of both good and bad experiences, and it won't always go according to plan. Should you stumble or fall, don't be discouraged. Get up, wipe your tears, and continue marching on. 

This journey will teach you to move forward. It'll teach you to conquer your fears. Don't be afraid of doing or trying something, because you might just miss out on something great. Life is one big unavoidable journey, but you choose the way you travel. And the paths you choose will one day lead you to your destiny.

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THANK YOUS

Thank you to Suzi from idothisforfrankie.com for gifting us with Arabella's beautiful birthday outfit.

We'd like to thank our amazing family and friends for all the love and support we received over the course of the year. We couldn't have done it without you. Especially Arabella's grandparents, Nana, aunts, uncles, and cousins. 

A special thanks to our family in Poland and Denmark, the entire Ciancio family, Leandro & Melissa for all their support, Jim & Lori, Sheiila & family, Kristi, Carrie, Bjorn, Nikki, Nigel, Kiefer, Tammy, Michal, Kirk, Shad, Paula, Moreen & Chris.

Thank you to all of the wonderful staff at Mount Sinai and Sick Kids Hospital, especially the nurses and RTs who were constantly by our side. Magen, Kristen, Brenda, Evelyn, Janet, Ella, Jenn, Justine, Nhi, Vicki, Cora, Clarise - you will be forever in our hearts. 

Thank you to everyone who supported our fundraiser (for us to be closer to the NICU) last year. Because of your help, we were able to give Arabella more of our strength, love, and support. 

Thank you to everyone at Corus Entertainment, both of our work families, for their amazing support, as well as the HR staff who helped make things easy on us.

Finally, thanks be to God, and to everyone who has kept us in their thoughts and prayers. 

💗