Tori Bella

Victoria Mindy is my spring baby.

She has a special middle name...Mindy...Mindy is my sister, my best friend in the world. Only seemed fitting to name Tori with her name. If Tori becomes anything close to what my sister has become, she will be Victorious! Mindy means Gentle...exactly appropriate for my sister. Tori shares the same trait...Gently Victorious!

She was born April 22, 2004.

She is almost 7.

She loves salt and vinegar potato chips and water.

Let's see, how do I describe her....so many words, so little space. She is vibrant, she is captivating and she is so precious.



Being the 4th daughter, Tori is mature for her age. She has 3 older sisters leading the way, clearing the path for her life. Sometimes I think the older girls think she is older than 6. She may act it but her heart is 6...young, sometimes ornery but always sincere.

Tori loves all things LITTLE! Little scraps of paper, little animals, little polly pockets, little Sqinkies...anything and everything little. She gathers things, collects them in piles upon piles and disperses them throughout the house. I always know where Tori has been. That's a good thing...sometimes.



We just passed the anniverary of Tori's injury. Last year, December 15, Tori was playing on the stairs and slipped. She fell down at least 7 wooden stairs and hit her head on the corner of one stair. Her Dadddy and I thought she was ok, brushed away her tears, gave her a big hug and told her she'd be alright. She went to Gramma Tibbetts that weekend. She went ice skating. She did everything the other cousins did and more, I'm sure. When Tori returned that Sunday, I bathed her before bed. While washing her hair, she told me to be careful because her head still hurt where she fell. I felt her head and immediately felt the pit growing larger in my tummy. It was a huge spongy area on the left side of her head, as big as an orange. I rushed to the phone to call her dr. I needed to get her in ASAP. We were sent to the ER and after a CT it was confirmed that Tori had a fractured skull, brain bleed and subdermal hematoma. Still chokes me up to even write these words. Shock and utter pain hit me like a freight train that evening in the ER as I listened the doctors tell me that "the next 24 hrs are critical..." I could see them speaking but not actually hearing the words. I tried to hold back the tears and thanks to Jeff, he helped me to. Tori was scared, we were petrified and all I could do was pray. Pray that Tori's little life would be spared. I prayed that we wouldn't lose her. Tori was monitored in the PICU for a day and half and was released with a clean bill of health. The doctors said, and I quote, "how could we make a perfect child more perfect?" Tears of joy...we received a most precious Christmas miracle that weekend. Shopping lists were ignored, cleaning was insignificant, decorating was non-existant...TORI WAS GOING TO BE OK!!! Praise God for that miracle! We are forever grateful!

So today I celebrate Tori and everything that her little blonde hair, blue eyed body represents. Love you girl!