For Elise.
After failed pregnancies and many tests I knew you, my special child, would be my second and my last. Three years of pain took it's toll and after seeing specialists and going through an intensive program, we were blessed when finally we had you, our baby girl in our arms.
The year you were born was the only year i didn't go to the Islands in 20 years, having to remain monitored and immobile for the whole pregnacy, for fear of losing you. I used to travel to the city each month for extensive tests. Then, you ended up being a breech baby and a caesarian with an epidural followed.
We knew you were a girl early on..and I entrusted this information to Sam and he used to call you Sarah! We still have videos of him calling you that. It's a wonder the whole world didn't know you were a girl...everyone wanted to know!
Of course after you were born, the name Sarah didn't suit. Elise was a far more feminine and lovely name. And a name we took from the girl on Sale of the Century! Alyce Platt. Except we changed the spelling! Your second name took the name of your grandmother and the both of you remain extremely close. It's a special relationship.
I will never forget the day you were born.
You were 3 weeks early and born in the city. Hundreds of kilometers from home.
To us, the day you were born was a day that we were filled with the joy of our special little girl. Girls are special. Even your Pop rang us to especially thank us for having a baby girl!
You were the most beautiful baby I'd ever seen and those were my first words before i was knocked out and given a general anaesthetic because the epidural didn't work effectively. 'She is beautiful', I remember telling your father as he looked admiringly down at you with a grey face from witnessing your birth.
Your eyes were so big and enquiring and so round and blue. You looked up at me with those huge eyes and i felt an overwhelming surge of love for you, my gorgeous baby girl. Your skin was so soft and smooth and I remembering thinking caesarian babies don't have wrinkles!
You had the cutest rosebud lips...
9 hours after the birth, you were wheeled into my room and that was when we realised you had the healthiest lungs a baby could have! You were dressed in blue, with a blue dummy and all i could think of was after having had a boy first, i wanted you in pink! You were also sleeping curled up, in the 'prone' position due to laying interuterine with your feet up! You looked like a little frog :-)
You were later showered in pink from all the gifts and for the next two years i had pink outfits adorn you till you were blue!!
When it was your choice to dress, you wore board shorts and tee shirts like your brother! And when you could, you'd wear his clothes. You were such a tomboy!
You were the brightest, bubbliest, giggliest and happiest little girl. With the most amazing whacky sense of humour that i've always loved! Always quick to learn new words and squeal when Sam 'attacked' you! And you were always so nimble, bouncing all over the place. A true little gymnast that's for sure! You never stopped climbing! Climbing furniture, the boat, and up trees and walls. Your aspirations to be a decky never wavered and until you were 17 when those dreams, and dreams of going pearling were dashed!
You always wanted to work on the boats! And it doesn't surprise me you are still clothed in fishing, with your darling David being heavily involved in the fishing and boating industry.
You always loved the Islands and fishing. Every chance you could get you were crabbing with the tongs and bucket or yelling for Sam to pick you up and take you to the moorings at the Islands to catch a groper! Every chance you could get, you were out on your Dad's boat as well. You loved the sea and every aspect of the Islands. You were born with it!
You were always close to your brother Sam and even though he was three and half years older you still competed with him. He was your champion and you wanted to follow his every footstep. And he protected you with his life. You remain close and i'm so proud of the unwavering bond you both have developed together.
Little kids always loved you. You were a mother's saviour as you were always willing to play with all the babies and kids that friends and family brought over. Your little country and city cousins who were babies when you were at school were your biggest love. You'd play with them for hours..and they just idolised you for it.
You always had a keen eye for detail. If anything ever got lost in our home you always knew where to find it..You had an uncanny ability to be able to find anything! This eye for detail extended to your drawing..
You'd draw for hours and hours on end. I remember one year i told you and Sam that I'd give you both a hundred dollars if you kept a journal for a year...To my surprise you both wrote a daily diary for a whole year. Yours was in pictures. A year's diary in pictorial form. It was amazing.
Your love for music came out in your desire to play piano and sing and every year you'd be in the Music School concert and I remember your drawings being a feature there as well, featuring on the cover of the music programme. I have videos of these concerts and they are so cute! Duets were your favourite and I was so proud of your winning efforts when she performed with your friend Jodie.
But maths was your favourite subject at school. You always excelled at that. Maths and science.
Your forte was your love of nature. You'd spend hours observing bees, spiders and insects and watching bugs in the back yard. Many times those very bees seem to sting your feet! Oh, the memories.
This love for nature saw you spend many hours with your grandma at Burns examining the insects which inspired your grandma to buy you insect catchers and fish ponds for your birthdays! Sometimes we'd find the insects adorning your bedroom! Later we found dogs, cats, fish and birds coming to live with us due to your love of animals.
As a child you were always industrious and creative. I still have an 'ugly doll' which you made and colourful cushions and a patchwork handbag. You were always using the sewing machine to dream up a creation or drawing or making something! Later in your teens, you and your friends would have dress up parties and i remember one where you all dressed up in what looked like rags! The photos are fantastic.
You were sporty as well. Swimming was your favourite and as champion girl at school you stood proud in this sport. You played badminton, hockey, tee ball and did gymnastics, dancing and any sport you could.
From year 7 you lived in the city but you still spent the holidays going back to your Dad and the town you loved. Eventually you went back to that town to live. A town that i have such memories as a girl of, living there with my own mother and a town i no longer live myself and yet a town where my children, you and your brother, both live. A town we all have a close affiliation with.
You have now become an integral part of that seaside town where you were brought up. Your love of the sea saw that you are now not far away from your beloved islands, your beloved David and Sam and his gorgeous partner Allie and your family and freinds in the town.
You have a wonderful, happy and respectful relationship with your partner and you work in a workplace that has directed you in a way where you have truly developed in your career. Your colleagues respect and trust you. You have a business sense, which we saw in your pursuit of your house, and car, that is bold, forward thinking and ambitious. And you are extremely resourceful. You have grown into a beautiful and wise young woman.
When I look at you, I see a courageous and beautiful young lady. I feel so proud and am overflowing with love for you. You have grown into such a wise and loving person who has an ability to reach out and touch the lives of others. You have touched my life. And made my life a joyous one for you being in it.
You are patient and kind and a daughter that i love so much. You are so happy and compassionate and you have an empathy for people that is beyond words. You are always 'there' for your friends and family. And you are generous and hospitable. Always humble and with a quiet confidence you travel through live. These are traits that you possess and are valuable.
The love that your brother and you share is so touching. From kids who fought to adults that genuinely respect and care for each other, you have taught me the value of a sibling. You both certainly have a special relationship. And you have gone through a lot together. Being there for each other, in the trauma's and tribulations that each have faced in your short lives.
The way you have handled these hardships and circumstances that were outside your control are admirable. You always kept your dignity and grace. And you have a strength of being, that shines in adversity.
Knowing you possess this quality, you will always know you can be strong and you will be able to face anything that comes your way. I know you know this, because you've been there and have handled difficult situations.
You have a strong sense of self and this is what will get you through.
And your determination and at times, doggedness, will serve you. At times it may hinder you, but you know your weaknesses. To be able to reflect on situations will enable you to change what you can and alter what needs to be altered. Your asset is your willingness to change. And to forgive.
And you can, and you have.
And this is what i love about you.
Elise, you are so beautiful. Inside and out. It shines from you.
I love our email and text contact when we're away from each other and I can't wait to see you, my special girl, when we're together again, when we get back from our trip.
Elise, I love you with all my heart.
A better daughter, a mother could not ask for.
You are special.
And you'll always be my gorgeous girl.
Us :-)
Happy 20th Birthday my darling daughter.
Love Mum xxx
