We’re 6 weeks post- shunt revision, and finally, things seem
to be looking upJ
The swelling around her shunt has improved, and it seems to be working the way
it should be for now. There is constant uncertainty with that little device! We’re
in the midst of many follow ups- ENT/audiology (they want to fit her for a
hearing aid in a couple months), neurosurgery (we’re scheduled for a CT scan of
her spine this month), orthopedics (more
Xray’s at a year), and we see her kidney
doctor and developmental pediatrician this month as well. The specialist
appointments give us lots of information, but it’s the weekly PT/OT that she
gets that is becoming the “meat and potatoes” of her care. When we first
started out, I thought therapy was a proactive approach to helping her meet
milestones. I’ve realized lately that it will be much much more for her, and is
probably the most important thing we do for her on a daily basis- besides giving
her lots of kisses of course!
It is very hard to believe that 6 months ago, we were
preparing to welcome sweet Meghan in to the world in just a few hours. The past
6 months have been filled with challenges, adjustments, and plenty of hard
days, but also with joy, love, and a heavenly change in perspective. Oh my, how
much our family has grown in these months. Meghan’s up to nearly 13 pounds of sweetness,
and the sometimes imperceptible changes that take place in a baby as they grow
have become celebrated joys for us as we watch her with a different awareness.
It is admittedly difficult not to compare our daughters at the same ages- at 6
months old Addie was starting to crawl! Meghan cannot yet lift her head off the
floor, or roll over….. but here’s what she CAN do: follow us with her eyes, turn her head all the
way to the left, reach for a toy, shake a rattle, blow raspberries, smile,
LAUGH, arch her back and stomp her foot when she’s frustrated, splash in her
bathtub, grab her toes- now even with her left hand!, burp loudly, kick her
feet to play with a toy, melt your heart when she touches your face, and make
me one thankful mommy. She would undoubtedly have been different from Addison
in many ways, even if she was born without the neurologic challenge of hydrocephalus,
or the scoliosis that further challenges her mobility. The 6 month mark is
bittersweet in ways. The hope that she would be developmentally normal has
faded into the reality that this sweet little girl will decidedly have to fight
to accomplish things that come easy for other children. That makes my heart
ache in a way I cannot describe. But it’s contrasted with absolute gratitude
for the miracle that her life is, for the love she has brought to our family, and
for how the Lord has used her grow me in ways I would have never imagined. Her
life comes with a list of miracles, of answered prayers, of ways that He has
shown Himself to be faithful, and of some unanswered prayers that I can only
reconcile to His sovereignty. Happy Half-Birthday Meggy Moo.....I cannot wait to see what else I am able to add
to the list at one year.
“When they see among
them their children, the work of my hands,
they will keep my name
holy; they will acknowledge the holiness of the Holy One of Jacob,
and will stand in awe of
the God of Israel.” Isaiah 29:23
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