a piece of my story i haven't shared yet

I remember my mom holding Nicholas for the first time. Her eyes gleamed with tears as she whispered gratefully, "We never knew if you'd be able to have kids." (Cue me sobbing.)

My second boy is kicking in my belly as I type these words. I haven't really touched on it here, but my life is pretty much a medical miracle. When my mom was pregnant with me she was told that I wouldn't survive the pregnancy. If I did, I would have a number of major physical and mental impairments. (My twin brother was fine.) The details are extensive so I won't go into them, but she spent all of her pregnancy preparing for the worst and praying for a miracle. Born at 35 weeks (typical for twins), I was 2.7 lbs, but alive. I was sent home after six weeks in the NICU.

In my first year, I exhibited a number of strange symptoms synonymous with several different syndromes, but doctors never diagnosed me with something specific. I wasn't growing and had little to no fine motor skills. Around a year old, doctor's found a dime-sized hole in my tiny heart (an "ASD" for any medical peeps out there). I had open heart surgery at 15 months old.

For the next few couple of years I did some therapy to help with a few issues. And then, after all that, I was fine. My heart was doing great, the weird symptoms I experienced subsided. I was a healthy (albeit extremely tiny), chatty as heck, energetic toddler.

I'm sure my parents still worried, and I know they continued to pray. After going through all of that, they didn't have any expectations on God - they were just grateful I was alive. I can't imagine the thankfulness in my mom's heart when she got to hold my Nicholas in her arms. Her miracle baby having a healthy baby.

I don't know why my story turned out so well and others don't. My heart grieves for the mamas whose babies don't get better. That's partly why I haven't shared this story yet. I know many women haven't had the same outcome, so I share not pretending to have answers and with nothing but gratitude. I'm grateful for my life, for my two boys, and for the story that the Lord is writing for our lives.

If you're struggling through a difficult pregnancy or have a baby in need of prayer, can I pray for you? I lead the Thrive Moms prayer team, and we have a group of women who would love to pray for you! Click HERE and fill out the little form to send us a prayer request.

(And a reminder - today is the last day to enter the Johari Creations giveaway!)