Ten Months Old

Happy birthday, baby boy! Luke would be 10 months old today. I can't believe that it was ten months ago today that we learned our baby boy had a severe CHD. So much has changed since our angel was born: watching him fight through a major surgery and its recovery, being home with him, losing him, learning that we had another miracle on the way, moving and leaving our family and friends, making new friends, finding out we were having another boy and then finding out he also has an issue...through all of this, we have tried to keep one thing constant: prayer. I have always felt that Tommy and I were prayerful people, but we have never relied on God as much as we have these past 10 months. And I have to say that it has been wonderful. It has been so good for me to be able to ask God to take away my worry and anxiety. Do I still get nervous abut ultrasounds? Yes. Do I still worry constantly about James and his omphalocele? Yes. Do I believe that God will always take care of our family? YES! The past ten months have taught me to trust in God more than ever and I thank Him for that gift.

Below is a picture I meant to send out weeks ago. My parents went to visit Luke at the cemetery in December and brought him a special present: his own Christmas tree. We are so thankful that others can visit Luke as it is very difficult for us to deal with the fact that we cannot visit him. Thank you, Mom and Dad, for this kind gesture for our baby. I know he thinks his Christmas tree is the coolest ever!


On the James front, we had another ultrasound today (we are now going every two weeks). Everything is stable and there were no changes. His heart looked beautiful and everything else checked out. His omphalocele is stable and his growth is good. He weighs about 4 pounds 2 ounces, although we will never be able to get a perfect weight as part of his insides are on the outside (to put it bluntly). The doctor said that we just need to focus on a room color, which made us feel good (he has told us this before). He only spent about five minutes with us, which we also look at as a good sign. James passed his biophysical profile (BPP) within the first ten minutes, which also made us happy. As you can see, we have no pictures as James decided to keep both hands in front of his little face. One hand kept opening and closing as if he was waving at us. He is a little stinker! I see my regular OB tomorrow and will see the perinatalogist in two weeks. As always, we appreciate all of your thoughts and prayers.

We hope that you all have a wonderful week. Thank you for checking up on us. God bless you all!