Introducing…

Hello friends! I know it’s been awhile, but as you can see, I’ve had more important things to worry about lately! As you can see, Baby Daniel, our New Friend, was born on April 8. It’s been a crazy ride, but Tom and I are loving this parenting business.

For those of you who don’t know, after my 20-week ultrasound Daniel was diagnosed with hydronephrosis. This means that because of a blockage in his urinary system, his kidneys couldn’t drain properly. It’s a relatively common condition in baby boys, and for most babies the problem resolves itself before birth. Unfortunately, Daniel’s didn’t. Our perinatologist decided that I needed to deliver at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston so Daniel could have prompt surgical intervention. Daniel was checked into the NICU on April 10, and spent the next week in a confined space, hooked up to a bunch of wires and a catheter.

Daniel had surgery on April 16. The procedure was done via catheter, so it was minimally invasive. The first thing the nurse told us when we got there that morning was, “They’re getting the robot ready.” You kids and your crazy, newfangled technologies. In all seriousness, though, it’s incredible that this type of procedure exists and that we had access to it. The surgery only took about 45 minutes.

Toward the end of my pregnancy, I was very stressed-out and discouraged. I was making weekly, sometimes semiweekly trips from Beaumont to Houston, and the only answer the doctors would give us was, “We’ll just have to wait and see what needs to be done after delivery.” I didn’t know what was going to happen to Daniel, or how long I would be away from home. There were times when I lost my perspective and wondered why we had to go through this.

The General Women’s Session of General Conference was two weeks before Daniel’s induction date. The whole session brought me a lot of comfort (and I loved the reference to Marie Madeleine Cardon—I grew up hearing stories about her from my grandparents), but I was most affected when President Henry B. Eyring shared the Lord’s words to Alma in Mosiah 24:14:

And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions.

Our burdens were eased throughout this whole process. Our family has been incredibly blessed, sometimes way beyond what I’ve felt we deserved, and now I’m starting to understand why. Tom has a great job and great health insurance, which are helping immensely with Daniel’s and my medical bills. We live close enough to Houston to have access to some of the best doctors and facilities in the world. Our family and friends have been so supportive and helpful. I learned that so many people have been praying for us, and I felt their love. If you have prayed for Daniel at any time, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

When I heard President Eyring’s words, I stopped wondering why the Lord didn’t give Daniel a miraculous in utero recovery. It really has been reaffirmed to me that the Lord does visit His people in their afflictions. He loves us, and He answers our prayers. That knowledge helped me through that painful week in the NICU and continues to comfort me through tough times.

We’re still waiting for Daniel’s kidneys to decompress, but he’s doing very well. He’s happy, healthy, and incredibly chubby. And tomorrow he’ll be two months old.

Welcome to the family, Dapper Dan. We love you.