One year. That’s how long it has been since our entire world changed with the results of one echocardiogram. One. Year.
I will never forget all of the questions and uncertainties that we faced during our pregnancy with Madelyn or during her first two months of life. It seemed like every ultrasound and checkup made things less certain as the results and opinions constantly changed. We heard everything from “there may be something” to “she’s perfectly healthy” before finally “she has two different heart conditions and here’s what may happen…” It was our faith and our love for her that kept us strong.
I remember going into that appointment anxious but I do not associate fear with the memories of that day. There was no real fear. I simply sat alone, rocking and nursing our sweet baby, watching all of the children play in that cheerfully painted waiting room. I remember thinking how special that room was because there was so much love filling it. People who were facing the scariest days of their lives had passed through these rooms. Would we too become familiar faces throughout these halls? Would our months to come be filled with more tests or even surgeries? The results would show that this would not be our future but we had been willing to accept it, to face it head on together. I am so grateful for that glimpse into that world. It has definitely touched my heart and will be with me always.
I shared that day with all of you and excitedly prepared for my husband to arrive for a few days at home. We had been missing him terribly and all of this good was almost too much to bear alone. Little did we know that his weekend home would kick off the biggest adventure of our lives. One week from that day, we would be sitting in Florida with our belongings safely in storage, our Arkansas home listed to sell, and a million possibilities stretched out before us.
To read more about that time in our lives, you can visit Our Adventures Begin.
