5 years

5 years ago I woke up in the middle of the night with a sharp pain. "Wow, that really hurt", I thought. I rolled over and tried to go back to sleep, but the pain kept returning. As morning drew near, I woke Brian up and told him I didn't think he would be able to go to work that day. He said "well, maybe I will just work a half day, then come home". As my pain became more intense Brian said he might just grab his power cord from work and work from home.

The pain intensified, so I did what every woman would do; I shaved my legs and told Brian we needed to go to the hospital. We hopped in the car. It was Monday morning, rush hour. And it was snowing.

I called my boss to tell him I wouldn't be in that day. I left him a voice mail: "David, it's Shana. I'm not going to be in today. I'm on my way to the hospital to have a BABY!"

I will never forget that drive to the hospital. My contractions were about every 2-3 minutes and I was in terrible pain. Yet through it all, I couldn't help but feel excitement over everything. I was going to have a baby. I was going to be a MOM!

Emma was beautiful. Perfect. Healthy. A fertility miracle.

Today she is vibrant, beautiful, in love with God and her family, and such a blessing to us. Happy birthday, sweet daughter. I love you, I'm proud of you, and I believe in you.