One Year Ago Today

It's hard to believe that at this time one year ago today we were admitting Eli to the local hospital.  He was 10 weeks old and weighed less than he did at birth.  We were thinking he had stomach issues, little did we know what we were in for.  I think you all know the rest of the story.  It's been a crazy year full of stress, tears, prayers, and sleepless nights, but we've learned so much about ourselves & become a stronger family because of it. 

The outpouring of support we received in those first few days was overwhelming.  The support has continued (as has the stress) and we are so grateful to all of you who help us in so many ways.  Thank you for caring about our family and our beautiful little boys.  Thank you for realizing how difficult this has been on Zachary & for anything anyone has done to help him cope and adjust.  Thank you for all the kind words, cards, gifts, dinners, handmade blankets, offers of help, monetary donations, hugs, and, most of all, encouragement.  Most importantly, thank you for all the prayers.  God is good.  He's brought us this far, He won't abandon us.  There's a reason Eli was made this way and a reason why he was given to us.  We are so grateful that he & Zachary are ours.

Each day is hard, but at the same time, we don't focus on Eli being a "heart baby" every day.  He's a normal little boy who loves to ransack the house, torment the dog & imitate his brother.  People who don't know about his issues are surprised to learn of them because he looks so normal & healthy.  We do that too.  Most days are spent doing normal family things.  There's always that fear in the back of our minds or that sinking feeling in the pits of our stomachs as we wait to see what unfolds next.  It's difficult not to focus on the negative, but we have so many positives in our lives that we can't stay negative for long.

Thanks again for all the support over the past year. I wish I could write that "we're almost done with this journey" or that "Eli's heart is fixed" but that will never happen.  We're in this for the long haul and I'm afraid of wearing people out with our story and prayer requests, but I won't stop!  Thanks for caring and remember to treasure Every Little Beat....