THE WAIT IS FINALLY OVER!

Twelve years ago this very night, I was laying in a hospital bed in my favorite city of Portland, Oregon. I was going to have a baby boy. The only problem was the baby would be born premature and I was extremely ill. The doctors tried everything to help me but the eclampsia had progressed to my liver, where the next phase for me would include seizures and then death. I was extremely scared. I had 2 previous miscarriages and I desperately wanted a healthy baby. I truly believe in times such as these, The Lord sends angels to help. The angel that was sent to me was a wonderful and talented nurse named Lorrie Leno. Since I had been in the hospital for quite some time before my delivery, I knew Lorrie well. She was my favorite nurse. She was kind and funny and a source of comfort.

As my labor was not progressing and Tanner's heart beat could not be found, I was rushed into the delivery room for an emergency C-Section. Lorrie was there. She was calming during a very scary time. Tanner came into the world weighing 3lbs 11oz. Again, Lorrie was there reassuring me that all would be well and Tanner would be okay. It wasn't until after Tanner was born on that beautiful Sunday morning that Lorrie told me that it was her birthday too. It was a tender mercy to have this wonderful woman, who had meant so much to me and had given me hope when all hope seemed lost, share her birthday with my son. All these years, I've never forgotten her. Each year on Tanner's birthday I always think of Lorrie Leno and in my heart I wish her a happy birthday.

Well today, I was making Tanner a birthday cake and started thinking about Lorrie. I recently signed up on Facebook and the thought came to me to see if she was on there. Sure enough, there she was. It has been a thrill to catch up with her again. I was so excited that she remembered us because we have never forgotten her. We have told Tanner numerous stories about Lorrie and have shown him pictures of her. When I told him tonight that I had found her on the internet, he just beamed! He was so excited! She has a wonderful gift of being a nurse. She is a hero in her profession and I can't wait to take Tanner to Portland someday for them to meet again.

In the meantime, Tanner has had a job for the past few months. All he has wanted for his birthday was a Nintendo DS. I told him he would need to earn half of the money. However, since I make him put half of his paycheck in the bank it has taken him a while to earn enough. But the time has finally arrived!

Happy Birthday Son! We love you!

And....

Happy Birthday Lorrie! We love you too!