God has blessed me and today I turn three!

I can't believe that Connor is turning 3 today. In some ways it seems more like five years ago that he was born. I just feel extremely blessed that we have made it this far and that he is doing this well.
3 years ago today started a journey that I never could have imagined, there have been a lot of ups and sometimes a lot ofdowns, but the number one thing that was foremost through it all, was that at the worst times, I felt the prayers and support of my family, my church family and all my friends and knew that God was hearing those prayers and was there to give us a feeling of calm and peace and I knew that He had little Connor wrapped up in His protective arms and that he was going to be taking care of him.
3 years ago, my Mom, Dad and Steve and I stayed in a Days Inn across the road from Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami in two adjoining rooms. I was huge and uncomfortable and extremely nervous about what was to come.
On the morning of July 28, 2003 we arrived at the hospital at 6:00 am. By 7:00 I was laying on a very uncomfortable gurney in a huge room with probably 20 other pregnant women with nothing on except a robe and a sheet over us. I was starving hungry and was not allowed to eat or drink anything due to the surgery that was going to be performed. There was the most delicious smell of french toast and bacon and I realized that the large stainless steel contraption beside my bed held trays of this exact food. Nurses would come and go, getting their trays and I just wanted to grab one of them out of their hands. One of the nurses saw Steve sitting there beside my bed and asked if he was hungry and of course he said yes, so she gave him one of the trays. I LOVE french toast and bacon and the tray also held some fruit, juice, milk. Steve looked at me with a big grin and I good naturedly told him that I hoped he choked on it:)
I would watch woman after woman be taken from the room and within an hour or so come back in, some would return looking like they were feeling alright and others would come back in moaning and writhing in pain. I was getting scared because I didn't understand why these woman were in so much pain. I finally heard one of the doctors come in the room and he was angry because he said the anesthesiologist weren't doing a proper job of getting these woman numb and that some of them were feeling everything and he wanted it to stop. I was praying that I would get one of the good one's and let me tell you, God heard my prayers. He sent me Jesus. Literally. My anesthesiologist name was Jesus (pronounced Heysuse). He was the best. Not only did we have an immediate rapport and joking back and forth, but he put me immediately at ease and was very reassuring and talked me through every single step. If he saw me wince or look uncomfortable, he would give me a little more juice.
Before I knew it, I was all prepped, and the sheet was up and the doctor or Jesus was talking me through the whole process and then I felt some pressure as Connor was removed from my belly by c-section and they quickly held him up above the sheet for me to see his face and he was so cute!! I watched as a group of probably ten nurses took him over to a little warming table and started to work with him. I was so scared. I just kept asking for them to let me see his back opening before they took him away and I just kept bugging Steve to get a picture of it. I wanted to see what it looked like from the moment he was born so we had something to compare it to, after the surgery was performed on it. Connor was a little celebrity at this hospital. The word had spread that a little baby with a whole in his back had been born and since this was a training hospital, all the interns wanted to see this and they were going to be taught about it. As they took the sheet down from in front of my face and I was still laying there without a stitch of clothing on, I looked in front of me at a big bay window at the front of the room and there stood probably 20 young guys looking in through the window. I was so startled and said something out loud, but they just made the comment that they wanted to see Connor and not me. Somehow, that didn't make me feel any better, because after all they were men, but what could I do?
It was hard not being able to hold Connor even for a minute after he was born. They did bring him to me and let me give him a quick kiss on the cheek and then he was gone. I had to lay there as they stitched me back up and then I went into recovery and it took a loonng time to start feeling my legs again. Steve stayed with me for a little while, but I was anxious to find out about Connor. Connor was taken immediately to the NICU and I was taken to a room on the third floor and other than that quick kiss and look I got of him, that was all I saw of him the rest of the day and night. That was hard!
Steve was able to see him a lot and take each of my family members in to see him one by one. Mary took her digital camera in with her and took lots of pictures for me, so I was able to see him in his little incubator bed on the camera. That helped a lot.
The next morning I was wheeled down to see him before he went into surgery. It was so good to see him. He was so cute and his color was pretty good. We met with his Neurosurgeon, who I instantly fell in love with. He was so kind, had a quiet confidence and was so reassuring and spent as much time with us as we needed, answering our questions and making us feel like it was going to be OK. As we were wheeled into the pre-op area, there sat my Jesus from the day before. He immediately got up and came over and gave me a hug and asked how I was feeling and asked if I had any questions. He wasn't going to be Connor's anesth. for his surgery, although he wanted to be, but he knew the guy that was going to be and said he would be great and we had nothing to worry about.
That was the beginning of the last three years of Connor's little life and it really is unbelievable how far we have all come from that time. Connor is one special little boy, and I truely believe that God has something very special in store for him. It has made up so much stronger. We never take our little one's for granted and it has taught us so much more about love, persistence, grace and trust.
Happy birthday my sweet little Connor. Daddy and Mommy love you so much and are so thankful and feel very blessed that God entrusted your life to us and we will do the very best we can to give you every possible opportunity to succeed at whatever you can in your life. Your Daddy and Mommy are your biggest supporters and fans and you have a huge group of people that are supporting, cheering and praying for you right along with us.