Happy Birthday My Little Man!!

Today is John Brady's 4th birthday! Each year when it gets close to one of my children's birthdays, I always reflect on that miraculous day and all of the milestones they've met since their birth. Most parents do, huh? My thoughts have been a little out of the ordinary this year. Because I almost lost my mom a few months ago, my view on life and life's challenges has somewhat changed. For the better. When my mom was so very sick, the outpouring of love I felt was unimaginable. Many times I was brought to tears by the messages I received. I realized I didn't have to go through it alone. The blog was my outlet. Sharing tragedies and triumphs with you has become a major part of my life. I wasn't such a "sharer" back when John Brady was born. I wasn't a blogger either. Probably didn't even know what a blog was! If I had known then the comfort of words and the power of prayer, I would have shared one of our deepest fears. Brady and I spent most of John Brady's first 7 months of life worried sick about the tremors in his legs and his developmental delays. Our pediatrician thought John Brady had Cerebral Palsy and we did, too. Too many factors pointed to it than not. Brady and I spent many a sleepless nights crying and wondering about John Brady's future. I think it was the uncertainty of it all that made us worry so much. And the waiting. The wait for an MRI. The wait for a neurology appointment. The physical therapy appointment. The early intervention appointment. Then there was the reading about the many types and degrees of CP. It was enough to make you insane with worry. I had never been through anything like it and it was by far the worst thing Brady and I had ever faced. You know, it wasn't the CP label that worried us. It was the unknown. It was not knowing how long his brain was without oxygen because the cord was wrapped around his neck at birth. Was it long enough to cause brain damage? Was it long enough to cause CP? Would we ever know what caused this? When will we have a diagnosis? Brady and I learned to take it one day at a time. During John Brady's 5th, 6th, and 7th months of age we watched his tremors lessen and we watched him make each of his developmental milestones. He even surpassed many of them!! Our pediatrician really didn't have an explanation, other than the miraculous resilience of a baby's brain or it was simply a miracle. So here he is, the birthday boy. Our little miracle is now 4 years old and hasn't missed a beat!

Happy 4th Birthday John Brady!!! We love you to the moon and back!!!!!

Thank you for all of your prayers and kind words throughout my mom's sickness. She still has a long, long way to go, but she's getting there. We are so blessed!!