March 15th

No one can really prepare you for motherhood. You can read a zillion books, watch a million movies, and be nagged with advice by other fellow and skilled moms but it all means absolutely nothing! The emotional roller coaster we call motherhood, officially begins during delivery. I firmly believe labor was intended to be all encompassing. Every raw emotion is felt throughout conception and those emotions never dissipate. When your baby is placed in your arms, you become overwhelmed with love, pride, and joy. It truly is an indescribable, unimaginable, and life changing scenario. When you leave the hospital, however, the fear, uncertainty and doubt set it in. Those first few days of motherhood set the foundation for this unpredictable, yet amazing adventure!

My life was forever changed 9 years ago today. Gianna Leigh DePreta graced us with her presence after a grueling 20 hours of labor. I went into delivery stoic and determined to do this naturally. Well, we quickly learned that our little peanut was far more stubborn than expected and wanted to make a very dramatic grand entrance. I am not sure what was worse. The pain or watching my husband laugh along to Austin Powers on the television while I was enduring this agony! I pleaded and begged for an epidural!!!! The epidural offered me some relief and a little time to rest. Soon enough it was time to push. While pushing, there was yet another glitch. Both of my OBGYNs were unavailable and I was assigned to a stranger! This picture perfect delivery I had dreamed about was turning into a nightmare. After pushing for two hours and developing a fever, it was evident that Gianna was not making her way out naturally. I did some more pleading with the nurses to let me keep going. A c-section wasn't in my plan. How could this be happening? Well, it was and I had no time to prepare. They quickly rushed my mother out, who had been coaching me, and I was wheeled into the operating room. Cold and frightened, everything that happened next was blurry. Lots of tugging and pulling, while I lay shivering and incapacitated. Then, finally, cries were heard and the doctor announced: "it's a girl!" That moment was life changing. A healthy baby girl. While I felt cheated for not being able to instantly hold or be with her, I was elated and my heart fell so full. I was a mom.

Gianna has been challenging me since birth. A terrible eater, I struggled to nurse her. I felt defeated. Young and inexperienced, it was taxing those first few months. I would be lying if I said it was entirely blissful. My baby girl and I, however, overcame each obstacle together. She was honestly becoming my best friend and has been ever since. She taught me to be more patient, persistent, and forced me to mature and prioritize. She gave me purpose and her unconditional love made life worth living.

It's hard to believe that 9 years have passed. Gianna is growing up to be a remarkable young lady. Her intelligence, talent, kindness, and dedication shine through in everything she tackles. On March 15, Gianna Leigh made her dramatic entrance into the world and my precious girl has been entertaining us ever since. Life would be so mundane without our "GG."

"When I tell you I Love You, I don't say it out of habit or to make conversation. I say it to remind you that YOU are the BEST THING that ever happened to me."

"A Daughter is just a little girl that grows up to be your best friend."