My Dearest Sofia,
You're turning six tomorrow! I can't believe that it was six years ago both of nearly died.
Your favorite phrase lately is "That's messed up." As you know, I couldn't actually meet you until a few weeks after you were born because I was so sick. Well, Cristina, Meredith, Alex, Lexie, April, and Jackson all realized how important it was for me to see you in person so they kidnapped me and took me (in my bed) down to the NICU. They pushed your incubator next to the window so I could finally see my baby girl. As I was laying there looking at you, I said "I'm a little messed up, too." Mommy hates you saying it all the time, but I think it's kinda cute and that you heard me that night. I never told Mommy or Daddy about what I said to you, so I know you didn't hear it from one of them. Even if you heard it from someone at school or the hospital, please let me be happy and keep thinking that you heard me saying it.
You are still a little small for your age, but you are one of the smartest kids in your class. You started reading over the summer and you love to read to Timmy, and he loves listening to you read. I can't wait to see you teach him to read in a few years, you really are a great big sister to him.
We've always had photo albums of you and Timmy on the shelf in the living room, but we never really look at them all that often. Mommy and I were putting Timmy to bed not that long ago and you had both of them spread out on the floor in front of you. You were looking at the first pictures from right after both of you were born. You kept looking from the pictures of you to the ones of Timmy and back again. Finally, you asked why you had that tube in your mouth and the mask over your eyes but Timmy didn't. You had never asked about that before and it broke my heart that you realized you and Timmy were born under very different circumstances. I wouldn't change a minute of your life, though.
You're my fighter and always have been. I want you to fight for everything you believe in; fight for the people you love, fight for what you want to happen in your life, just never stop fighting (I'm glad you won't be getting this letter until you're 18 and won't see that last part until then. I don't want you to fight with your brother or anything like that, just the good things.)
Happy Birthday! I love you bunches!
Love,
Madre