Junior's Story...Part I

My then-3 year old daughter, painted this picture of our soon-to-be-completed family several weeks before our son was born. We had a beautiful daughter, and were expecting a precious little boy. Life was good. We could not wait to welcome our son, and counted down the days to when he would make his grand appearance. Little did we know that his arrival would flip our lives upside down.

The Pregnancy 
I found out I was pregnant on a Sunday in September. While a planned pregnancy, I cried when I found out, only because I knew what I was going to expect. Among other issues, I had severe morning sickness all 40 weeks with my daughter (well, 39, as she decided to vacate a week early, probably out of pity for me.) Imagine the worst food poisoning you've ever had...then imagine suffering through it for 24 hours a day for 8 and a half months. I still shudder to think about it. Sure enough, about 5 weeks into my pregnancy, the morning sickness started. It was intense and unwavering, but not nearly as bad as with my daughter when I had lost 15 pounds, so I knew it was going to be a boy. 

While praying for my children one night, God placed on my heart that this baby was going to be a "healer." I didn't know what that meant, but kept it in my heart. 

At 11 weeks pregnant I started spotting, and was put on bedrest. The first week wasn't so bad...no cleaning, (vacuuming was especially prohibited), and people bringing meals...but then the weeks turned into months. I had an active and energetic 3 year old at home who couldn't understand why Mommy couldn't play with her. Frustration began to set in.

Soon after Christmas we confirmed our baby was indeed a boy. Three days later, my mother-in-law passed away suddenly and unexpectedly. We were all grief-stricken, but the words "this baby will be a healer" popped into my head. Perhaps this boy was going to heal our family from our great loss. 

Junior's Arrival
We worked through the next few months, until finally, I went into labor. (After 24 weeks of bedrest, I was off for one measly week, then put back on for high blood pressure until delivery, so it couldn't have come soon enough!) After 5 hours of labor and three pushes, Junior was finally here. He was beautiful. Perfect. Precious. 

That night, the nurses came in to perform a few routine tests. I was not prepared for the results, and suddenly our entire world changed...

Be Sure to Read the Second Part of Junior's Story Here...