Happy Birthday to my daughter Rita

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My lovely daughter entered this world thirty-one years ago today. She's pictured here just a few days old. Isn't she a teeny tiny little thing? That's because she wasn't supposed to be born until April. Yes, my precious daughter was born three months premature weighing 2 lbs at birth and dropping to a 1 -1/2 lbs soon afterwards.

The doctors didn't expect her to live but after she survived one week they upped her chances of survival to 50/50. They didn't know they had a little fighter on their hands! She came home very close to her due date and was only released after they taught me how to resuscitate her if she would stop breathing. Oh, and she was attached to a heart monitor for a few months also.

In retrospect, it was a blessing that I was only 17 when she was born. I was too young to understand the realities of her premature birth. I accepted everything that happened as part of a normal process of having a baby and bringing that child home. Shoot, I remember lugging that kid into McDonald's and eating a burger and fries with her sitting on the table attached to her heart monitor! I also remember staying awake all night to monitor her breathing the night a severe storm knocked out our power.

In 1976 many preemies didn't survive and you couldn't locate preemie size clothing. Her first dress was a dress I made for her - using a doll clothes pattern. I still have that dress packed away as it is very special to me. She's 2-1/2 mos old in this photo and the dress is only partially on her because she was having one (of many) blood transfusions.

When she arrived at her job today she had a voice message from my husband and I singing (very poorly I might add) Happy Birthday. Our dog, Sophia, was barking harmony in the background. A great beginning to a great day. Happy 31st Birthday Rita!