Josh's special day

Today is Joshua's special day.  He turns 12!!  I'm gonna have a hard time next year when I have a "teenager"!!  I look back on this day 12 years ago and realize how every birth is a miracle from God.  Jack and I wanted a year or two alone before we started a family.  I knew starting a family would not be so easy, and it wasn't.  My cycles were never regular.....I could go 3-6 months without having anything.  Finally I went to the doctor and she was going to help me.  I was so excited!!  That excitement soon turned to bad news for me.  I wasn't immune to rubella and needed a shot....but, I had to wait 3 months before even trying.  I know that doesn't sound like a long time, but when you desperately want to become a mom, three months is a long time.  I couldn't understand why everyone we knew was announcing they were expecting or why God would allow a girl and boy to climb into a backseat and presto!!  The three months ended and I once again went to the doctor.  For three months we tried to get everything just right....testing, blood work, the right medicine doses etc.  It was a HARD three months....but then, it happened!!  Jack and I know the exact timing of this.  I woke up one morning and took the test and saw it was positive.....but wait...I turned the test upside down so I must have done it wrong.  I snuck out of the house to get another test and that one was positive too!!  Our prayers were answered and Joshua was born nine months later.  I often wondered if I did something wrong during the pregnancy....he was born with a cleft palate.  I blamed myself for awhile.  We've overcome many obstacles....special bottles, numerous doctors appointments, surgery at 1, speech therapy, tubes in the ears, many teeth pulled, orthodontist appointments....most of this due to cleft palate.  After researching some other areas, I have found that some of the other obstacles we face could be a result of the cleft palate.

    But the story doesn't end there.  We have a cute, bubbly young man.  He is healthy and what every mom could ever want.  God's not even finished with him yet!!  Happy 12th Birthday, Joshua.  We love you!!