“Rainbow Babies”

Yesterday was special…a sweet reminder that life ebbs and flows and that it is possible for joy to be restored after the loss of a child.  We’ve watched life continue to be lived in the lives of many of the heart families we’ve bonded with since our journey with Rudy began…families who, like us,  found themselves thrust into  a new reality with the birth of their heart baby and, as we’ve reported over the years, some of these families continue to live life one day at a time with their medically fragile child and some have had to endure the agonizing loss of their precious one.  Rolf and I have felt, deeply, the loss of special friends like Katie and Josiah and, of course, Logan.  Unlike us, most of our fellow heart parents are young 🙂 so we’ve had the pleasure of watching these special young families continue to grow!!

Katie’s parents have a sweet little boy and are expecting a new baby very soon, Josiah’s parents were blessed with a baby girl (making it THREE girls!) this past spring and Logan’s parents, well, they are thrilled to welcome a baby boy who is due in just a couple of months!!  Olivia, Rudy and I got to celebrate with the Elliott’s yesterday at their baby shower and it was great fun to share in their joy!!!  When Rayme found out she was pregnant she called him her “Rainbow Baby”…the rainbow that came after the darkest of storms.  We are thrilled for Rayme, Brett and their girls and so grateful for Logan who, with Rudy, knit our families together forever.

An extra-special bonus to yesterday’s baby shower was getting to see nurse Sara again!  Nurse Sara (who drove all the way up from L.A. to attend the shower) cared for Rudy and Logan in the CTICU at UCLA and is very special to both our families.  We enjoyed a nice, long visit and Sara was super sweet to give Rudy his g-tube feed for me in the middle of the party (I thought maybe she was missing such a task with it being her day off and all – ha).  Sara hadn’t seen Rudy in person for quite some time and she was excited to see how much he has grown and developed – it was so affirming to talk with her!

And so, here we are, closing the books on this crazy, chaotic month of July and looking ahead with anticipation to August.  Wilson is leaving for a 10 day missions trip to Costa Rica tomorrow (Monday) and Rudy’s heart cath is on Wednesday!!!  Rudy has a pre-cath appointment with Dr. Harake (cardiologist) on Monday, we’ll skip therapy and stay close to home on Tuesday, most likely be in L.A. on Wednesday and Thursday  and then recuperate at home over the weekend.  You’d think we would have learned by now not to get anxious about the cath but we do (shame on us!)…it’s unavoidable so, instead, we’ll tie up loose ends here at home and send Wilson off on his big adventure with a nagging pit in our stomachs and a couple of restless nights’ sleep.  Ha  We’ll keep you posted…thank you for praying!