MLK Day: A Day of Memories and Celebration

Below you will find a link to last year's MLK post and a link to the story of all Grady went through. This year as I thoroughly enjoyed sleeping in a bit on my day off from school and as I smile listening to my kids play, I am reminded of how different things were two year ago. MLK Day was Jan. 21 in 2008. I was scheduled to go back to work from maternity leave on the 22nd. You can read the rest of that on the links.

There's not a day that goes by that I don't count my blessings and realize how differently things could have turned out. There were times in the hospital that the doctors told us they had no experience with Grady's situation, they had no answers, they didn't have a prognosis for the future. Without his blood transfusion (among many other medical interventions) he was very close to dying. Side note: please give blood! It truly does save lives! I just gave Saturday and I'll give once again when my 56 days are up. There were times when we thought he'd never eat by mouth. I could go on and on, but I won't. Because, just like every other day since his journey began, I choose to celebrate instead of dwell. Today, I listen to Grady playing a triangle and calling it a square. I listen to him arguing with Taylor. I watch him coloring pictures. I laugh with him and as he laughs. I get aggravated with him as he keeps doing things I tell him not to do. I roll my eyes as he pretends to be a baby so that Taylor can be his mommy. I laugh at his powdered sugar covered face from donuts at breakfast (yeah, healthy, I know). Right now he's yelling, "Ride'em cowboy, weehaw!" and running through the living room. He needs a diaper change if the smell is any indication! :) He's rotten to the core, smart as a whip, a little parrot with everything Taylor does and says, a singer and hugger and kisser and giggler. We still have to do asthma meds, he still gets gagged easily...but compared to what others have to go through and what his life could have been, I know that we are infinitely blessed and I don't ever want to forget that. To this day (two years has never seemed so long ago or so close) I can still hear/see/feel/smell the 40+ days at Riley. I can picture it all. I don't eat Cinnamon Melts from McDs without thinking of our first breakfast there in the PICU on Tuesday morning. I can't smell certain hand sanitizers or soaps without being transported back there immediately. I can picture the halls, the people, the rooms, everything. It's finally not something that causes me to feel sick, it's just memories. It's a reminder of where we were and where we've come. I would never wish for Grady to be sick but I have learned so much from it all. The lessons have been many but the main thing I have learned is that God carried us through, made us all stronger, and will continue to carry us through.

So, this MLK Day, I leave you with this picture of Grady (and let you know that he's singing The Wonder Pets theme song while playing with his toys!) :) The green cape he has on is a Wonder Pets cape that Grandma Beth made.

MLK Day 2009 http://breathingsoundssoeasy.blogspot.com/2009/01/mlk-day-2008-vs-mlk-day-2009.html

Grady's Journey

http://breathingsoundssoeasy.blogspot.com/2008/12/i-had-planned-on-posting-this-in-jan.html