sista, sista!

August 12, 2014 might just be an ordinary day to the majority of the world, but eleven years ago today, I met my youngest sister, Ellie Marie. Now, if you follow me on other social media, you saw that Ellie's birthday was yesterday, and probably wondering why I am posting this now.

Let's flashback 11 years..
August 10, 2003: I was just your clueless seven year old who had no idea what childbirth was, or the complications that may come along with it. That night, I remember my mom and I watching the annual "Shark Week" on Discovery Channel. I was obsessed with sharks then, and I don't know why. I could tell my mom was not herself. She was 29 weeks pregnant and hurting badly. For those of you who don't know, a normal pregnancy is around 40 weeks or so. When she couldn't handle the pain any longer, she told me to go upstairs and get ready for bed. My dad was on his way home to pick my mom to go the hospital and grandma was on her way to stay with me.

August 11, 2003: I remember this morning vividly. I walked down the stairs in my pink princess nightgown and saw grandma sitting at the table reading. I asked her, "Where's Mommy and Daddy?" She began to explain that my baby sister was born earlier that morning. I couldn't believe it. I was so excited! I was waiting so long for that day and she came early! With concern in my grandma's eyes, she began to explain that this is not a good thing. Ellie was born premature eleven weeks early at 2 lb 9 oz. Ellie was fighting for her life and terribly sick. No one knew if she was going to make it or not. As a seven year old, this was incredibly confusing, and I didn't understand. I wanted to see my mom and Ellie so badly, but Ellie was much too sick to see her that day.

August 12, 2003: My dad came home from the hospital and picked both Hannah, my other sister who was only three at the time, and me up and took us to see my mom and Ellie. I remember my dad telling me that it's going to be a bit scary seeing such a small baby and lots of wires stuck to her. My dad was right. The first time I laid eyes on Ellie, I thought she was a tiny baby doll you'd buy in the toy section at Wal-Mart. She was incredibly small, and I couldn't even tell what she looked like because she was covered wires. Despite how scared I was, I put my finger between Ellie's fingers and she squeezed. That was the beginning the "The Schmidt Sisters."

Ellie's birth was one of the most difficult things my parents have gone through, but by the grace of God, Ellie fought for her life and grew stronger everyday. It was a difficult and emotional year, but we made it through. Ellie is now a very entertaining, crazy, caring eleven year old and one of my best friends.

My family calls today "Sister Day" because it was when Hannah, Ellie and I met for the first time. Every year we have done something together to celebrate how thankful we are to have each other, and praise God that He provided Ellie with such strength. When I was younger, all three of us bickered all the time. (Sorry Mom and Dad.) But as I've grown older, I started to realize how important they are to me. My senior year, I had quite a bit of friends problems, finding out what ones are true and the one's who aren't. It happens, unfortunately, and was heartbreaking for me, but I gained something truly wonderful from this experience. I learned that no matter how bad I screw up in life, or what I wear, feel, act like, etc., I will always have two beautiful and loving young women there by my side. Their unconditional love for me overwhelms me. I don't know what I did to deserve such wonderful sisters.

Banana and Elle-Belle,
I'm so proud of the young ladies you've become. I'm so proud of how strong your faith in God is at such a young age. I'm so proud of how you carry yourself, and how you show love to everyone around you. I'm honored to know that I am considered your role model, taking after me, and loving dance as much as I do. I can't thank you two enough. For everything. For inappropriate dinner conversations, random hugs, wiping my tears away when boys broke my heart, movie nights, improv dancing, and so much more. Leaving you girls to go to college is going to be the hardest part, but our video chats dates will sure be interesting. I love you two forever and always.

-Your big sister, who may be shorter, but will always be wiser. :)

Here's just some of the many favorite pictures I have of us throughout the years. Call up your siblings today and just remind them how much you love them. Families gotta stick together!

For more information on how you can help premature babies like Ellie, visit http://www.marchofdimes.com. It's such a wonderful organization, and I'm so happy I got to volunteer with them and give back for the support they generously gave my family and me. 

Thanks for reading!

God Bless You,

Liz :)