Looking Back

It's amazing what can happen in 4 years. It's also amazing how fast 4 years can fly by. In high school I felt like 4 years took forever...but it really didn't. College was a blur that went by so fast. And now when I look back 4 years I'm reminded of one of the scariest and craziest days of my life. It somehow seems like a distant dream and yet at the same time like it was just yesterday.

Today is Haddie's 4th "Butt Birthday". 4 years and 4 days ago we went to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia just to get evaluated. OSU told us we had better go just in case Fetal Surgery was needed. We never imagined that we would actually need it. They ran a full days worth of tests at CHOP and told us the tumor was stable but we'd have to stay in the area and not go home. Then just 4 days later, the test showed that the tumor had grown significantly and we had a super small window of time to undergo the fetal surgery or it would be too late.

That just seems so surreal. That's the stuff you see on TV. That doesn't happen to normal people like us. But it did. And we posted about it on this blog. And you all prayed like crazy. And Haddie lived.

It's been a great 4 years with Haddie. I don't update this as often as I used to because not as much is happening. It's just normal life now with 2 kids. Haddie's development is still very slow coming...but it is coming. When we look back a year or two ago at her alertness and level of cognition...man has she improved. She loves going to Ewing school. She learns so much there and they challenge her. She also still does therapies weekly over in Marietta.

Her recent EEG shows that she still has very irregular brain waves. But for her the waves looked good. No crazy seizures like in the past. Shes still on the meds that help control those. Now many of you have asked "how does she like her sister". Ansley really likes Haddie. We aren't sure how much that is reciprocated. Mainly because ansley is loud and a little "hands-on". She likes to grab Haddies face and her hair. And Haddie likes her personal space!

What excites us the most is seeing Haddies personality. She doesnt talk. She can't move much. Yet we are learning more and more how to read her. She says a lot with her eyes. We believe she can think and has opinions. So we try and give her choices and she has to use her eyes to choose. We do not think she's just "brain dead". Her brain is just different. And it's our job to unlock that and figure her out. And that is a challenge yet at the same time a blessing.

She is here. She is alive. She is growing and progressing. And that is a miracle that we won't ever take for granted. Thank you for remembering her 4 years ago and thank you for remembering her today. We know many of you still pray for us and we cannot thank you enough. God continues to use a little 25 lb girl to change lives and encourage people. God is good.