Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Thoughts on my cranio kid

Benjamin's first birthday is in just under a month away!! It's been a crazy year, to say the least. As I began working on his one year montage (it's just not a birthday in blogging land without a montage!) I found myself focusing on the craniosynostosis part of his first year, which seemed a little silly. Sure, it was a major part of his year, and will be a part of his life. But I decided that's not the main thing I wanted to focus on.

So, I'm going to focus on it here! :-)

Did you know.....?
Did you know that only 1 out of every 5,000 babies are born with sagittal cranio?
Did you know sagittal cranio is the most common?
Did you know that boys are more likely to have cranio than girls?
Did you know that cranio is listed as a "rare deformity"?
Did you know it's also listed as a birth defect?

As I typed the last two "did you knows" I couldn't believe that I was typing them about Benjamin. When he was born, Curtis and I thought he was perfect! Another beautiful, healthy baby! How could my beautiful baby have a rare deformity and a birth defect? Looking at him now, it's so amazing to see where God has led us! The change that he has under gone is truly amazing! But not nearly as amazing as the grace of God!

With the March for Babies coming up, I've been even more aware of the grace and goodness God has shown us. Just sitting in the doctor's office yesterday, I was reminded of God's grace when we met a family whose little girl had cranio. She's 18 months old, and hasn't been able to have surgery yet due to insurance problems. We met another little girl who was 22 months old and wasn't walking yet, due to hydrosephalis. When her mommy saw our 11 months old walking, she reminded us what a miracle it was.

"Why us?" is a question that I've thought over the past several months. Why do we have a son with these problems? Why has God chosen this path for us and Benjamin? Why couldn't we have caught this sooner? Why does God think I can handle this? Yesterday, I was reminded that my question should be, "Why us, Lord?" Why is our son doing beautifully? Why have you shown us your grace and favor? Why are we so abundantly blessed?

I have often heard our pastors say that the more we learn about God's grace, the more sinful we realize we are. So true!!! The more I see God's mighty hand, His righteous acts, and his hand of salvation, the more I realize I am totally unworthy! Praise God for his rich love, abounding mercies and saving grace!!

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