Thanksgiving

This time last year we had a lot to be thankful for. I was nearing the halfway mark in my pregnancy and we were just a few days away from our official 20 week anatomy scan. We had also just discovered that we were expecting another boy and had decided to name him Kyle. Life was good. 

Little did we know, our lives were about to change forever. In spite of a completely normal 20 week scan, we would discover a short 8 weeks later that our baby boy had significant brain damage. The corpus callosum, the largest bundle of fibers within the brain that connect the right and left hemispheres, was completely missing. He had extensive areas of cortical dysplasia- areas with abnormal brain folding. He also had a very large interhemispheric cyst growing in his brain causing mass effect on the surrounding tissue and had hydrocephalus as a result. No one knew what life would be like for our baby. 

If you had told us last year the journey we were about to embark on- that our baby would need two brain surgeries, 13 MRIs, 5 hospitalizations and 7 ER visits just within his first six months- we would imagine this Thanksgiving to be a somber one. But a little bit of perspective changes things. A little bit of hope changes things. And that smile? That smile changes EVERYTHING. 

We are blessed. 

Happy Thanksgiving! 

Counting it all Joy

Today, I took Kyle on his first grocery store outing since his surgery. It was beautiful outside and it felt so good to get back to our normal daily routine. I tucked Kyle's infant carrier in across the width of the cart and he was asleep just a few minutes into our shopping trip. 

I strolled the entire width of the store and eventually found my way to the produce department. A woman approached to congratulate me on my adorable baby. She was in the midst of telling me how quickly babies grow and what a blessing they are when Kyle shifted in his sleep, turning his head and exposing his week old surgical incision. She gasped and quickly shuffled away, murmuring something about my having a blessed day. 

My joy sunk into despair. Tears threatened to spill over, anger began to swell and I came uncomfortably close to being featured in a "meanwhile at Walmart" meme. I found my composure and headed towards a check out line. 

As I was loading my groceries into the van, feeling emotionally defeated and done, Kyle stirred again and flashed me one of his sweet, gummy grins. It was then that I realized that the day's blessing was mine to claim. I had not been robbed of joy by a stranger in Walmart. It was she that had been robbed by uncertainty. She would leave not knowing what a blessing he truly is and the miracle that is his being. She would leave not knowing the extent of God's faithfulness throughout his young life and how powerful one little toothless grin can truly be. 

Today, I rejoice in knowing.

Surgery #2

Kyle's second surgery went very well! They were able to accomplish everything they wanted and he did very well throughout the procedure and recovery. He spent two nights in the hospital and is now completing his recovery at home. We are very proud of our brave boy. He has been through more in his first six months than most of us will go through in our lifetime. And he did it all with a smile. 

For more pictures, click here:

http://flipagram.com/f/LSUxQirFWd

What's next? 

- First post op MRI/neurosurgery consult on November 18th

- Continued bi-weekly physical therapy