We’re kicking off a brand new week with something near and dear to my heart…TJ Oshie‘s daughters. But, this is specifically for the eldest, Lyla Grace Oshie, who celebrated her fifth birthday yesterday!

Little Lyla has come a super long way. For those of you that don’t know the full story, Lyla was born with gastroschisis, a condition in which an infant’s intestines are on the outside of the body. Her condition was detected during an ultrasound and led to some pretty intense surgery. TJ and Lauren were not able to hold Lyla right when she was born and she continued to spend weeks in the hospital recovering. Luckily, things have been all good with Lyla since!

Yesterday, it looks like she had a fabulous day complete with lots of love from her family, including her sister and small icon Leni Oshie, presents, and a unicorn balloon!

We love Lyla for many reasons, but it’s especially the fighting spirit she has maintained after her struggle. Whether it’s standing up for her dad to Kris Letang or sending a clear message to the Pittsburgh Penguins on what she thinks of them, we are so happy that she’s on our side! Clearly she is pretty happy to be here too 🙂

Oh and Lyla is happy we're staying too!! #GoCaps pic.twitter.com/cWcetbzzoh

— TJ Oshie (@TJOshie77) June 23, 2017

Happy (belated) Birthday, Lyla!

Headline photo: @tjoshie7