We are so humbled, so blessed, and so incredibly touched by all the love we have received since announcing Dylan's heart defect. When we first received the news, I don't think Jeff or I could have hit a lower place....devastated only touches the surface of what we felt. But as we have shared our news, we have realized the rawness and vulnerability of our situation has allowed us to see things in a different light and be immensely thankful. Perhaps that seems odd, but just tonight we were talking about how lucky we were with this whole situation. Are there moments or parts of this journey that totally suck? Absolutely, but we have consciencely decided to be grateful for all the positives.
Many of you have asked how we are doing and here is the truest sense of explaining it all.
These are the things we have mourned:
1. There won't be those precious first moments of holding our baby boy and bonding with him. This has been especially hard on me, since I know how amazing those moments are from having Ty.
2. Ty will be unable to visit Dylan the whole time we are at Vanderbilt. Unfortunately, all the floors Dylan will be on require a minimum age of 4 to visit. So, we're sad that Ty won't meet his brother until he arrives home.
Could I name other things? Sure, but those are the things that have been the hardest to get over.
Now take a look at all the things we have to be thankful for:
1. I had a cord cyst that allowed me to be monitored by a specialist and he listened to the "little angel" on his shoulder that kept telling him something didn't seem right.
2. They found the defect before Dylan was born, and we didn't have to go down the scary road of him being rushed to Vandy blue and unsure of what was going on.
3. We have some of the best Pediatric Cardiologists in the world preparing for Dylan and ultimately working on him.
4. He has a heart that has all 4 chambers, has a right and left side, it's positioned correctly in the chest, it's the proper size, and is working.
5. His defect only requires only 1 surgery and 10 days in the hospital.
6. We don't believe he will have a "worst case" co-arc and his long term prognosis is very good.
7. He is wrapped in so many prayers that we can only feel at peace.
8. An old college friend, Colleen, is a brave heart mom and has so graciously helped prepare us for this journey.
Could I keep going? Absolutely! It's so easy once you get over the initial shock to realize how lucky we are....how thankful we are....that things could be so much worse. Jeff and I have been through more doctor's appointments than seems possible, and if anything, they have made us so grateful. If you think you have things bad, just go sit at Vanderbilt's Children Hospital, you will quickly realize how fortunate you are. I am amazed and encouraged every time by the strength of parents and kids in the most challenging of circumstances.
I'll wrap up this crazy long post with how incredibly thankful we are for you...our dear family and friends. As soon as we told our story, the outpouring of love and kindness shown to us has been overwhelming. Cards, texts, emails, phone calls, visits....more than we could have imagined. I never knew what small, simple acts of kindness meant until we were on the receiving end. We look forward to paying all the love we have received forward.
An old, dear friend, Crystal, sent us an amazing daily devotional book. Somehow every day, it has exactly what we need to hear. One of my favorite quotes is "Thank me (God) for each problem you encounter, and watch to see how I transform trials into blessings."
Please keep the prayers coming. They are felt and appreciated more than you could know. Lots of love to you all. Baby Dylan will be here very soon, and we cannot wait to introduce him to such very special people.
XOXO,
Jeff, Beth, Ty, and Dylan
