Do You Believe In Miracles?

I have been trying to figure out how to open this blog with a clip from the wonderfully vaulting and vamping 1975 Hot Chocolate song "I believe in miracles," but I am just not that technically savvy. However, let me paint that picture with words: Imagine with me now, the hockey announcer from the famous 1980 Olympics in those last few critical seconds of the game, "Do you believe in miracles?"

We've just seen one.

I'll be 35 weeks tomorrow and baby had a major growth spurt in the last two weeks. His little tummy which hadn't grown almost at all in the prior two weeks jumped from the 1st percentile to the 9th percentile and overall he went from the 5th to the 10th and at an estimated 4.5 lbs he has officially outgrown the size requirements for the NICU.  Something miraculous happened.

His size is no longer a concern; this little guy is going to make it! Doctors will still watch him closely but believe he basically outgrew the tumor blockage just enough to allow blood flow to almost return to normal. They expect him to be born at full term and at that point he'll only be in the NICU for a short while to get the echo and MRI done but then the rest of the monitoring should be able to be done at our side until I'm released from the hospital. At that point, we will head over to Seattle Children's to prepare for open heart surgery. At least that's the plan right now - as we have noted, we do seem to go from major highs to major lows and the plan is ever-changing, but we are out of the worst of the weeds of those scary last few weeks.

I went on a super spending spree yesterday. I finally felt like I could buy this kid some things. From the softest of newborn clothes, to a beautiful double stroller I'm readying the nest. Unfortunately, because of the uncertainty of the last few months I haven't prepared my sweet toddler at all for this pending arrival... When I ask him where Baby Brother is he rubs his own tummy... but I have a few weeks and a lot more confidence. His absolute most favorite movie right now is Dumbo, and without even realizing it he has learned the crux of this whole experience: Believe.

"But I be done see about everything, when I see an elephant fly."

I'm so ready for this moment.

via GIPHY


(PS: Look at me!! That! I did that!!)