Defy Gravity: Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss

Here is a secret for you, when I was little I didn't like Dr. Seuss. I don't know why I didn't, but now that I read it to you guys I love it. Love love love. It is so much fun to hear you mimicking the words and wanting to see what comes next.

But there is another, much bigger reason why I love to celebrate Dr. Seuss' birthday. It marks the anniversary of the glorious day that we found out we were pregnant with my sweet bug, Elayna.

Princess, you have no idea how much you were wanted. And how very very hard we worked to get you here. As Tommy approached that magical age of two I knew that I wanted to have another baby - so you could be constant companions and friends. Both Daddy and I have several years separating our birth and the birth of our siblings. I wanted to be sure that we did not have that with you and Tommy, I wanted to make sure that you grew up together.

We tried for 7 months. In retrospect, 7 months does not seem like that long of a time. But holy cow, when we were going through it it was like forever. Every month that I got I period I would morn, so worried that my rough pregnancy with Tommy had prevented me from getting pregnant with you.

I had finally decided to meet with a fertility expert. I called and made an appointment for a Friday, and the Monday before - on Dr. Seuss' Birthday I finally got what I had been dreaming for. A positive pregnancy test. Words can never describe how happy I was. I actually tested twice, by then we had spent so much money on home pregnancy tests that I had started buying them in bulk at the dollar tree.

Your Daddy was downstairs getting ready for work & Tommy was still asleep. I had purchased a shirt months before & not told anyone, afraid that we would never get to use it. I went downstairs, shirt in hand, eyes all glassy and told daddy that I wanted Tommy to wear this:

We both cried, and held each other for a little while. Then we had to get ready for work, it was soooooo hard not to tell anyone, since we wanted to tell our family first. We decided to tell everyone on the Jones/Forney side of the family at Savannah's baby shower. I showed them all the shirt & they were so excited.

We went the next day to Nonnie & Papa's Tommy wore the shirt, but they did not notice at all. Daddy finally told Papa to read the shirt. Every one was so excited that you were coming little bug!!

My students were so happy too, they threw me a shower & made me a diaper cake. It was the sweetest thing.

Elayna, you were like a rockstar inside of me, you got to listen to all of the greats, Chaucer, Beowulf, Shakespeare. You would move all around, and get so excited. Sometimes during IEP meetings you would literally be doing flips, it was so hard to stay focused all I could think about was you. What you would look like, what your name would be, how much fun we would have, the list went on and on.

Before we found out your gender, I knew. I had a dream while we were still living in Chesterfield. Before we even found our forever home in Rockville. In the dream Tommy was running around and playing in a giant field, but I was siting on a picnic blanket with a beautiful little girl with dark hair. I knew it was you. A woman that I worked with, named Minnie, also dreamt of you. Beautiful dark hair & creamy skin. She left Varina before you were born, I wish I could find her to let her know she was right.

The summer of 2010 I got so sick, so horribly, horribly sick. I had something called c-diff. It was awful, suddenly a pregnancy that had gone so smoothly was in serious risk. The medicine that they prescribed me was questionable for you (it was Flagyl), I resisted taking it until they told me that without treatment I would undoubtedly die. It took 2 and a half months to rid my body of the disease. And it was not until you were born that I finally believed that you were ok. It was a true miracle that you were not affected by the disease, or by the medicine. We are so lucky!

Meanwhile, school started. I was so big, and you were so big. I was working at Varina High School, and they were under construction. There were many times that I would venture across campus and have Braxton Hicks pains that were so intense that I was positive that you were going to come right then.

I worked RIGHT up until the day before you were born. I remember walking through the parking lot & a bus driver hollering to me asking me when you were due, her face was priceless when I replied, "tomorrow morning."

You are so beautiful, and sweet. So snuggly and perfect from the second that I first held you.

These are the PJs that earned you your nickname, Bug. I was holding you and loving on you, chanting your name - My little Elayna. When Tommy came up and noticed your Lady Bugs on your feet. He called you Lana Bug, and it stuck.