Little Fella's Gonna Have a Big Scar :(

Hey bloggy friends! (Those of you who are left!) Boy, an update is long overdue! We've had a big, emotional week this past week.

Our little guy was diagnosed with Sagittal Craniosynostosis. That's a fancy way of saying that two of the sutures in his skull fused prematurely in the womb which, left alone, will cause his head to only grow front to back and not out to the side like it should. It also poses a slight risk of future developmental problems. He will have to have a big time surgery to correct the problem when he is about 5 or 6 months old. (Late July or early August.)

Our pediatrician had mentioned that she was concerned about the shape of his head, but we really did not expect ANYTHING serious, and it didn't even cross our minds that he might have to have surgery. So when we heard the news on Wednesday, it was very shocking and emotional for us.

We have researched a couple of options, and are pretty sure that sweet boy will undergo a procedure called "Cranial Vault Remodeling." It's a three to four our surgery. He will go completely under. They will cut his head open from ear to ear, completely remove his skull, reconstruct it so that it leaves room for his head to grow normally, put it back in his head, then stitch him up. The surgery has a very high success rate. The main risk is blood loss, but the surgeon we will most likely be using is very proactive about reducing the need for a blood transfusion.

I get so sad to think about putting this little guy through such a big and serious surgery. It is a scary thing to think about.

However, like I have told some of you, we have been praying that God would increase our faith in Christ. And so we are very confident that although this news and process is extremely difficult for us, God is giving this "light and momentary" trial to us as a gift because he does love us, not because he doesn't. He was not surprised by the diagnosis since He knit this guy together in the womb, and HE loves sweet baby more than we do. We can trust Him. He is not scared.

We will let everyone know when we schedule the surgery and will keep you all updated through the entire process. To those of you who have already e-mailed me and prayed for us, we are so thankful for your support. We feel extremely loved and blessed to be surrounded by so much support.

At this point, the hardest part just seems to be waiting 6 to 8 weeks for the surgery.

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1:2-4

"...though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed." 1 Peter 1:7

These verses truly reflect our heart. Please pray for our faith and for peace. Please also pray for the little fella's surgery to be successful.

He is such a happy, content baby! We love him!