Happy Birthday, Hazel Bear

Last night, as we counted down for the New Year, I could see the excitement in Hunter's face. (Yes, he made it all the way to midnight! And Brody woke up just in time for the new year too.) The way he yelled "10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1! Happy New Year!" It was exciting to see it. After giving Craig a New Year's kiss and hugging the boys tight, I instantly felt my heart drop into my stomach. It has sat there the remainder of the day. I knew what this day meant for some dear friends of ours.

A year ago today, Hazel Marie was brought into this world. A beautiful baby girl. I will never forget being woken up by a text message from her mom saying that Hazel had arrived with all of her stats. I was so excited and woke Craig up saying "Ryan and Angie had their baby!" I was so excited! Finally, friends of ours had a baby.

Two days later, after looking at Facebook, I found out something was wrong with her. They airlifted her to St. Mary's Mayo in Rochester. How could this be? She was healthy, right? But if she is, then why are they bringing her there? We later learned that Hazel had a Congenital Heart Defect (CHD-did you know 1 in 100 babies are born with heart defects?) known as HypoPlastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS).

I watched her journey unfold as her parents left journal entries daily on her Caring Bridge site. I remember checking the site multiple times a day seeing the latest news. Hunter would always come and check on me to see how baby Hazel was doing. We prayed for her so many times each day that God's will be done in her life, that God would be with her parents and family. I continue to pray for that family every single day. Hunter still asks about Baby Hazel and has so many questions as to why her. Questions I can't answer and it's hard to explain. But we know that she is safe, loved and in the best care anyone could possibly have.

God had big plans for this little girl. A girl I wish I could have met, but know I will one day in heaven. A girl that only lived 13 short days, but made an impact on so many people across the country. I can honestly say that because of her, I appreciate life so much more. I cherish every moment with my children because we don't know what God has in store for us. We assume we are going to live long healthy lives, we'll get old and pass on. But that is not always the case and it is so painful watching people who are so deserving of a baby get their dreams taken away in an instant.

In memory of Hazel Bear (the nickname her daddy gave her in the hospital), who would be one year old today, I wore my t-shirt from a walk with her footprints on it for an organization called It's My Heart in her memory. I know, nothing amazing, but I wanted to be reminded of a little girl who has changed the lives of so many in just a year. I have shed tears for her today and for her family. I even dreamed about her and her parents last night and woke up in tears. I know this isn't easy for them. Everytime the calendar flips to a new year they will be reminded of what they should have. It breaks my heart to watch them in pain. Their hearts ache. It is a reminder of how blessed so many of us are but forget to take the time to acknowledge it. We get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of life and forget to look around and see what is important to us.

So, Happy Birthday, Hazel Bear. I know you are celebrating with Jesus in heaven. Your mommy and daddy miss you so much and love you more than you'll ever know-along with many other people. Thank you for making a lasting imprint in my life. I will never forget you and will share your story every chance I get.