I haven't taken the time to write about it here, but it has been a bit of a rocky ride since Elizabeth was born. A cloud of "abnormal test results" has been hanging over us since the first day we brought her home from the hospital. We got the call from our pediatrician to tell us that her hospital PKU tests were abnormal and that we had to come in the next day for another test.
More heel pricks. More screaming baby. More waiting.
Then the second test also came back abnormal and we were thrown into a whirlwind of possible problems, and complicated predictions for the future. One of the hardest things with a newborn is fear of the unknown and we were definitely a little spooked.
Our next step in the process of finding answers was to seek out the help of a geneticist at John's Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. They gave us probably the best, most caring, attentive medical care I've ever received. And within one day had done more blood work, answered all of our questions and passed on the blessed news that all the previous tests were false positives. Elizabeth was going to be just fine.
Of course, it's easy to be thankful when you're on the happy side of a potential problem. But that day, sitting in the pediatric hospital with our presumed "abnormal" baby, I was thankful. I looked around me at the children--some sick, some handicapped, some hooked up to IV juices, some tiny newborns like Elizabeth--and I was overcome with thankfulness. Even though we potentially had some problems ahead, there was still much to be thankful for. I was thankful for my two children at home--healthy and happy--and I was thankful for little Elizabeth. I don't think I take enough moments to be grateful for those blessings.
And I also looked around me at those parents sitting beside me in the pediatric clinic--still smiling, still managing to be upbeat and joyful with their children--and I realized I was in the presence of some real-life heroes. And I'll bet they manage to find a little thankfulness in life as well.
A much needed little lesson.
