On The Rail with Sydney Weaver – Baby Jo is born!

Pinky (Sydney Seelster) was going into labor. I was so excited. This meant my wait for Baby Jo[e] was finally over, I had been waiting for this day for so long.

Normally, I do not like it when my bedroom light is turned on because I like my room really dark when sleep. So, when my light is abruptly turned on, the light is blinding.

This makes me cranky, usually, but when my dad flicked it on it was an exception on the night of April 11th . I woke up and sprung to life. To be truthful, I was not really sleeping. I was listening for the phone.

My parents and I had been preparing for this moment for weeks. My mom grabbed my clothes which were sitting on the table ready to go.

I brushed my teeth and changed as fast as I could. Then, we piled into the car and headed to see Pinky. Unfortunately, Mother Nature didn't get the memo that tonight was an important night. It was raining with a mix of sleet when we were driving to see Pinky, this slowed us down a little bit.

At 12:34 I walked into the barn. All was quiet, I peeked in the stall where Pinky and now Jo was. I was in a state of pure joy.

After watching for a few minutes, the person who had been looking after Pinky, who is in expert in broodmares turned to me and said, "It's a filly, born at 12:06". I was filled with delight. I could have watched Pinky lick Jo forever.

Pinky is the perfect mom to Jo. She is protective, caring, and has shown Jo so many things that will help Jo be a success racehorse in the future.

I watched as Jo would try to stand up, I would encourage her. After a few attempts Jo finally stood up, a little wobbly at first and then she walked over to Pinky and began to drink.

I was filled with pride at her determination to stand. Jo even looked proud of herself when she managed to stand. Soon after Jo decided she would try to run. Needless to say, it was not long before she fell. Although I laughed at my silly little girl, I admire her will of trying to run.

After staring at the beauty of Pinky and Jo I thought I would leave so the two of them could bond. But I wasn't ready to leave, not just yet. So, I went around the corner to watch the monitor which was connected to the camera in Pinky and now Jo's stall. I watch Pinky bond with her baby. I watched Jo get more confident on her feet. I was in love. I could have watched that monitor forever.

Finally, it was time for me to leave. I sat in my car as we drove home and was full of joy and sleep was the last thing on my mind. As we drove I was absorbing the events that had just happened and the event felt so magical. I got a feeling, that night would change my life. I dreamed of the days to come, and further into the future.

It was close to five in the morning when my parents and I arrived home.

Sure, I should have gone to bed so I could get up in a few hours and go to school. But my mom said I could stay home. So, I logged onto Facebook and posted that Baby Jo had arrived, and said that ''we will be going to the Jugette instead of the Jug" to let people know Pinky had had a filly, along with all the pictures, my mom had taken.

I still remember how happy and excited I was to tell everyone that Pinky had had her foal. I still remember how excited Pinky's and my friends on Facebook were for us, it was a true celebration.

I went to bed and fell into a deep sleep knowing know the phone would not ring. The next morning, I sent pictures to all of my teachers explaining why that was the reason I was not in class.

My mom recommended that we skip going to see Pinky and Jo that day, so the two of them could bond. As much as I really wanted to go and see them, I knew it was best for both mare and foal.

All day I wondered how Pinky and Jo were. The next day I went to school, because sadly, I could not stay home forever and when I got home the only thing I wanted to do was to go see Pinky and Jo.

Every day that I go and visit Jo I am always excited to see how she has changed since the last time I saw her. She is growing so fast and getting so big! I love brushing Jo, it is my favorite part to do during our visits. I love brushing Jo and Jo loves being brushed.

Pinky has passed on the connection we share to Jo. When I go into the stall Pinky relaxes and lets Jo come right to me. There was one day when Jo was starting to act too silly and Pinky gave this deep nicker, it was almost like Pinky was saying to Jo, "be careful with her. Don't you hurt her".

I look forward to seeing what silly things Jo comes up with to entertain me during each visit.

She always makes me laugh and makes me smile bigger and brighter than she did the time before. Jo has never been shy of my wheelchair. In fact, Jo feels quite the opposite.

When Jo was younger, she would always want to sit on my lap. Most of the time it happened when I would brush her tail, and other times when I brushed her side. I still do not know why she did it, and where she developed the idea.

I would always push off, she would stand up, and I would tell her, "No, Jo. Only one per chair". As she continued to grow, she continued to want to sit on my lap, the harder it got to push her off. Every time she did it I would laugh even more than I did the time before.

I know Jo is going to go on to do amazing things in her career and I always want to protect her and keep her safe. Unfortunately I cannot wrap her in bubble wrap, so I had to find with another way to keep her safe.

I thought of the idea to have Jo blessed. On one afternoon Chaplin Ken Carter of the Standardbred Racetrack Chaplaincy came out and blessed Jo. It was a small ceremony with a couple of close friends. Since that day I have felt comfortable knowing that no matter what, Jo is safe and in good hands.

When Jo was two and a half weeks old, the accomplished equine photographer Dave Landry was kind to come out and take pictures of Pinky and Jo.

That day was a great day. While Dave Landry was snapping photos Jo hit the pace for the first time! I was so happy and proud of her, not to mention impressed.

On that same day, Jo was acting for the camera. There were a couple of photos Dave Landry captured and it looked as if Jo was posing. She would run and stop, then look at the camera and I thought to myself "oh goodness, Jo's going to be quite the handful, if at two and a half weeks she is already acting like this".

Jo is the perfect filly now and all she needed was the perfect name. I knew Jo's name was going to the biggest decision I would have make.

To make it easier, I came up certain criteria the name had to fit: her name had to fit well in a race call, the name had to meaning and fit with her personality. It took some time to finally get the perfect name but at last I came up with what would become Jo's official race name.

It happened while I was a school, counting down the hours until I could go out and see Pinky and Jo, with a song by one of my favorite singers- Justin Hines, stuck in my head.

The name I came up with is "And Now There's You". The inspiration came from Justin Hines's song Now There's You; and because I have Pinky and now I have Jo too. I checked it see if it fit the criteria, and it did! I made up race calls in my mind- the name worked, it had meaning and it most certainly fit her personality.

Jo brings so much joy into my life. When I look into her eyes I feel like she sees my heart.

Every time I look deep into Jo's big brown eyes I find the missing pieces of myself. If I am feeling blue she knows exactly what to do to make me smile and laugh. If I am stressed she will sit with me and make me relax.

Although we do not communicate in the same way, she knows is exactly what I am thinking and how I am feeling. Although she has only been outside of Pinky for a few months, Jo and I fit perfectly, like two puzzle pieces. She is like the younger sister I had never had.

When Jo looks at me her eyes are filled with kindness, gentleness, curiosity and an eagerness to play and learn. Now that Jo is here I cannot wait to see the adventures we will have together. I look forward to whatever lays ahead. Even though she is growing and changing so much every day, I am so happy she is in my life.

Now it is off to summer camp and then to IRELAND for the Vincent Delaney Memorial. I am sure I will have a story or two from this super trip!

Sydney Weaver is 16 years old and resides in Acton, Ontario, Canada. She has been involved with harness racing for years, groom's horses, jogs them on the track, owns both a Standardbred and a Thoroughbred racehorse and has already won major youth writing awards. Sydney also has Cerebral Palsy and spends most of her time in a wheelchair, but has never let her disability hold her back from achieving her goals.