Today our granddaughter Kelsey turned nine years old. My husband and I sang “Happy Birthday” in off-key voices to her early this morning.

Kelsey was born early and tipped the scales at a bit under six pounds, and, we found out late on the night of her birth, had a serious problem with her stomach and had to have emergency surgery the next day.

I got to Florida, where they then lived, shortly after her birth. When I entered her mother’s room Kelsey was lying at the doorway waiting to be wheeled out by the nurse to what I thought was the nursery. It actually was to be NICU. She couldn’t hold down any food.

Because I thought there would be plenty of opportunities to hold her I resisted and instead talked to her in her bassinette, telling her how much Grandma loved her. She made tiny sounds.

What a head of hair that baby had!

The next days were pure hell for me as I watched this tiny little life lying in a bassinette with tubes going into every conceivable place and then some. I was unable to do anything but hold her hand and stroke her head. Of course I kissed her, and of course I prayed to God she would be OK. I can only begin to imagine how my son and daughter-in-law felt. Her IQ has since been tested and found to be 146.

They even tested her for Down’s Syndrome because she slept with her thumbs in a different position from most babies, and it was then that our son and I christened her “Special K”. Fortunately, her mother didn’t know what the reason was for the DNA tests, and I wasn’t sure my son did at first.

I wasn’t able to hold her until my next visit, which was when she was three months old.

Today she is an accomplished prize-winning figure skater, she is a prize-winning cheerleader for a youth football team, she does Tai Kwon Do, and is a beautiful, smart, and healthy nine year old.

Excuse me for the personal post, but I want to wish our second born granddaughter, and third born grandchild a very, very happy birthday today.

Wait until tomorrow.