Sending up prayers...

It took me a while to be able to follow other heart babies' stories... it was just a little too close to home. But soon after Annalee was almost a year old, I began to delve back in - one eye closed - to the world of heart babies and their precious, fearful, hopeful parents who dare to share their stories online.

Part of following these babies' stories is therapeutic - it makes me realize how much we have to be thankful for and how far Annalee has come. Another part of me wants to follow these stories because I almost have to... why should I be done with "that world" just because Annalee is healthy? Things could have gone down a completely different path, and I feel a real need to stay connected to that world. Almost a calling to pray for these tiny babies and their little broken hearts.

Right now I have two special heart babies on my mind - one is Baby Ewan. Little Ewan is barely a week old and has already had surgery, several cath lab visits and is such an inspiration. His parents are scared to death - as you can imagine - but their faith is amazing. The other little one I have on my heart and brain is Baby Jordan. Jordan is due in about six days - there is a lot of fear and anxiety about his heart as well... he has been diagnosed with HLHS (Annalee's original diagnosis), and I know it's such a scary time for his family. Please keep both of these amazingly brave families in your prayers... I have been where they are, and it's a dark and lonely place. Prayers can make all the difference in the world.

I'm going to leave it at that for now... nothing I can say after talking about these little ones seems very important. Just keep them in mind and send good vibes. Heart families are a special breed of people and heart babies are such fighters. I have my little fiery 3 year old heart baby to prove it. :)