This is very new to me and I am really not a fan of social media.... so why blog? The conviction I have been having to share my experiences and testimony has gotten very heavy in the past few months, so I decided that the best way for me to reach the audience that could best benefit from them was by utilizing a blog. So please overlook my lack of blogging skills and feel free to ask me any questions that I leave unanswered.
Background: I am a very blessed, married stay at home mom. When you read that sentence, the white picket fence dream automatically pops into your head, but our family story is a little different. (Whose isn't??) Since I was a little girl I have always known that I wanted to be a wife and a mother, just like most little girls. God had bigger plans for me than I ever could have fathomed. I had my dream wedding to the wonderful man that God intended for me and a couple short months later we found out that we were expecting. Little did we know how fast our life really would be changing. Our amazing, one of a kind, spirited little boy made his worldly appearance at 29 weeks. At 8 days old, we got the devastating news that he had a Grade IV IVH (brain bleed) on the left side of his brain. It was not active anymore - which was great news. But it was not allowing his CSF fluid to drain. This lead to hydrocephalus and sent us from our local family hospital to a much larger hospital in a city a little over an hour away. He had surgery at 3 weeks old, which is when they placed a subgaleal shunt in his head to aid in the drainage of his CSF fluid. After 48 days total between the 2 NICUs we finally got to bring our son home. This was only the beginning of our journey.
Since then we have made numerous trips for MRI scans, NICU follow-ups, eye exams, weekly therapy appointments, etc. At 6 months old, he was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy (right side hemiparesis). We began therapy immediately. At 12 months, his diagnosis was changed to show that he was showing a mild triplegia pattern. In the past 3 months he has made leaps and bounds in his mobility. We see new blessings every single day.
Back to the question why blog... My entire purpose of this blog is to offer hope and peace to any family affected by a surprise situation. And to let them know they are not alone on this journey. And to also hopefully aid in the help of finding needed resources that are very difficult to come across by yourself. I will go into more detail about our experiences in the NICU, therapies, etc. in later posts. I just wanted this first post to give you the background into our life and open the door for any mothers/families that need someone who has been there and understands to offer an ear or small piece of advice. The best advice that I can give you is to not allow yourself to get wrapped up in the diagnosis/medical problem/etc and find joy every single day. Our son, Colt, has brought my life more joy and happiness than I could have ever imagined. Love your child. Do not compare. I don't know when comparing children ever became a thing anyways. That's like comparing apples to oranges and it makes zero sense. Do not listen to the ways of the world - trust me they are wrong. God does not make mistakes. You will soon learn the impact that Colt has made in his short time here already. He has done more than I can ever begin to hope I do before my time is over. If there is any information or any questions you may have, please don't hesitate to ask.
Romans 5:3-5 "We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love."
