I am a few months late on this post, probably because this is an emotional one for me. This birthday was a huge milestone for Lexi, and for us as her parents. The past two years have been full of trials-stepping stones-to get us to where we are now. We were four months into being brand new parents to Lexi, when we had an unexpected hospital stay. There, we were told that she had hydronephrosis and kidney reflux, grade 4. This would mark the beginning of a long journey for us.
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| Up side to being in the hospital-Friends bring stuffed animals!! |
Lexi had to be on daily antibiotic to prevent any UTIs. We communicated with her urologist and
pediatrician frequently. Even with daily antibiotic, Lexi had 4 breakthrough UTIs that landed her in the hospital. Each hospital visit was almost a week long ordeal. Each time, she had a random, weird infection in which she needed antibiotics through an IV.
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She was actually sick here-believe it or not! She had a high fever, which resulted in another hospital stay a few days later.
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When Lexi was about seven months old, we found out we were expecting. This was a huge surprise to us, and we could not see what God was planning for our family. Matthew and I both struggled immensely with this news, as our lives and circumstances were hectic enough without the thought of taking care of another baby! We actually did not really have time to process it all, as we were busy so much with Lexi and her medical problems. We were so focused on Lexi, that being pregnant was just something we did not really discuss until later.
Shortly after Lexi turned 1, she had a procedure done. This procedure strengthened her ureters to properly perform their God-given functions. So far, the procedure seems to be holding! We praise God for this.
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| After her procedure! To this day she just ADORES fish! |
On the way back from her procedure, I started having contractions. I was only 27 weeks at the time, but they wouldn't stop. So that night Matthew drove me to the hospital where they monitored me over the next few days, They gave me shots to stop the contractions and over the next few days, they subsided and I ended up carrying to term.
Looking back over the past two years, I can see God's mercy and grace. Our family has grown so much through this.
*We have a high respect for all the pediatric nurses who have to deal with emotional family members! (And hospital staff in general).
*We are so thankful to God for giving us the strength and peace of mind, as new parents, to "stick to our guns" and not back down when we were pressured by medical professionals to do something different.
*God blessed me with incredibly understanding professors that year, who allowed me to take as much time as I needed to complete assignments. The last few months of my schooling, God worked it out so that my professors were both mothers who understood the need for me to take time to rest and be with my family during the birth of our second child.
*I am actually thankful that we live so close to Chicago because our urologists work out of St. Lurie Children's Hospital, and they are very good at what they do!
*Both our parents were selfless and sacrificed their time to help us out during these difficult times
*God personally showed me what true Christianity looks like. I watched in awe as members of our church stopped by the hospital or our home, brought food for us and toys for Lexi, prayed with us, or just talked with us. I am so thankful for our church family because they truly live out the love of Christ.
*Addison was definitely an unexpected blessing. She hasn't been the easiest of babies, but we love her anyways! (More on that later ;) ) We have enjoyed watching Lexi and Addison grow together.
*We have witnessed first hand that Christ really is the Great Physician.
There are many more lessons that we have learned through all of this, but these were just a few! Even though the last two years have been very difficult, we knew God was in the midst of everything, and even though we did not know what to do at times, there was a sense of calm. We knew that God entrusted Lexi into our care, and even though we were not in control, we knew He was. He has a plan for her life, and we are so blessed.
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Whenever we do birthday parties, we like to just have family and close friends. Thankfully, my parents were able to make it up for her party, which is always a blessing. Here are a few pictures of her birthday party!
We love our little Lexi to the moon and back! 💗
