Three Years Ago...

Three years ago today (at 3:18am) our precious second son was born.  Our lives were changed forever.  Before 5:00am that same day, the doctors came in to tell us that Nathanael's platelet count was low...and we knew then that he had been born with Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome.  What opened one of the most difficult chapters in the life of our family to date has now become a distant memory: this fall he will have his 3 year-post-transplant check-up!  What once almost completely defined our little boy has now become just a footnote in his medical records.  We are so thankful that the Lord chose to heal him completely.

At age three Nathanael is an active, busy, somewhat bossy and very determined little guy who loves to tackle his big brother, talk about dinosaurs (and pretends to be one!) and trucks, and will crawl on the floor almost anywhere.  He's adventurous, silly, and opinionated; he's also loving and cuddly (he will even ask me if we can go snuggle!), and he'll sometimes grab my face with both hands and kiss my cheeks, while telling me not to laugh.  (I can't help laughing...it's so cute, especially when he tells me how he loves my "precious cheeks"...think I've said that to him just a few times?!)  He is strong and fearless, even in the face of doctor and dentist visits, including blood tests.  He is still learning to be gentle.  ;-)

He loves to sing (on his own terms, of course: Dinosaurs A-Z is probably his favorite, followed closely by several songs from a Veggie Tales CD we have), loves to run and be chased, enjoys climbing, and wants to jump off furniture like his brother.  (Last week at the park he scraped one elbow and both knees, and I didn't see any of the "accidents"...it wasn't until later that I realized he'd been hurt at all!)

Some days it's hard to believe that this crazy little boy was once very sick and medically fragile.  Sometimes I wince just thinking about the germs he's picking up (and putting straight into his mouth - he still has one 2-year-molar that's coming in, so he's teething and constantly chewing his fingers), and then I'm thanking the Lord that we are no longer concerned about all those germs!

So when you think of us, join us in thanking God for our healthy, happy, crazy little boy who brightens up every room he enters with his contagious smile!  And then pray for those you know whose little ones are sick, or are struggling in some way, and give them a call, or drop them a note just to let them know you care.

Happy Birthday Sweet Boy!  We love you!