Today I can't help but feel blessed for the miracle that is our little Lauren Louise. She turned one year old today and this whole year has truly been a blessing with her in our lives. We have been so blessed with her... not only just as the sweet daughter that she is, but also as a reminder of the miracles that God can perform if we but put our faith in Him. Lauren was diagnosed via several ultrasounds with a bilateral complete cleft lip and a cleft palate. We were devastated not to be having a 'perfect' baby because we just want only good things for her and want her to have a 'perfect' start to life. It's interesting how my perspective has changed on this, because now I truly believe that she was born perfect. None of us are of course literally perfect in our physical beings, but I mean that she was and is perfect because she is just how I would ever want her. She is perfect in that she is who she was meant to be, and understanding that has totally changed the way I think of my perfect baby. I don't know if that will make sense to anyone else, but I only need it to make sense to me.
Lauren is a miracle. I love the phrase, "What a big miracle for such a little girl" because she truly is. Lauren, despite her diagnosis and all of the confirming ultrasound images and prenatal reports, was born with a bilateral incomplete cleft lip and no cleft palate to speak of. I remember being so nervous about how I would feel when I first got to see her after her delivery, and the first thing I remember was Drew crying and saying that she's so beautiful and she has a palate... and he was so right. Lauren has always been beautiful. Her sweet spirit and personality shined through her, and despite all of my fears about how she might look she was and is so beautiful. She is perfect. She was born with a whole palate and her clefts her not complete; she had been healed.
She is a miracle. She was able to nurse from her first attempt though we had already prepared only to feed her by pumping and using special bottles. She responded well to her nasal alveolar molding device and her nose was reshaped in time for surgery. She did excellent through her
surgery and her face has healed with a new smile that we love. She has learned how to roll over, crawl, and walk developmentally on time or even early despite her struggles. She is now a beautiful toddler who loves life and makes my life more worth loving just by being in it. She is a miracle. Today I feel blessed for this year of miracles and blessings. Because Lauren has been blessed I have been blessed. I love her so much, and I love the Lord so much more for loving her and me so much. I love my Lauren Louise.
1 comment:
We sure love her, too! It's been amazing for me to have my testimony strengthened through this beautiful little girl that has touched all of us in the family. I remember when Drew called us after she was born, and he was in tears when he told me that she didn't have the cleft palate that she had been diagnosed with just weeks before. Chills went up and down my spine, and I cried right along with him. It was such a sweet moment for me, and I am grateful for that experience and for the changes in my own faith through Lauren's journey.
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