Dear Shannon,
The first time I saw you after the delivery room, you stopped breathing and had to be put on a ventilator. You spent your first Christmas in the NICU apart from your family. When you finally came home, you were attached to an apnea monitor for the next three months. It seemed like a pain, but it was necessary because it alerted us to six additional times when you stopped breathing.
And through it all, God has been faithful. He put you in the hands of great doctors. Dr. Mouzoon, Dr. Robertson, and Dr. Carter couldn't figure out why you stayed so sick for such a prolonged period. Yet, they collectively pinpointed reflux, not prematurity, as the source of your lingering apnea. Then, with the help of the right medicine, you started down the road to recovery. You came off the apnea monitor. You started to enjoy your bottles instead of being tortured by them. You started to smile and coo like a normal baby.
And through it all, God has been faithful. He surrounded you with people who cared about you. Your extended family, your BSF teachers, and your Sunday School teachers all embraced you and wanted to learn how to meet your unique needs. When we told the nanny in your Sunday School class that you didn't like to be held much, she asked permission to love on you anyhow because she was sure that she could win you over. The first weeks, I'm sure she was sorry that she didn't leave you in your carrier. But, in the long run, she was right, and your affection for her is second to none. I'm almost positive that if I was on one side of the room, and she was on the other, you would crawl to her over me. And, I'm fine with that.
And through it all, God has been faithful. Now twelve months later, you are a bubbly boy who loves to wrestle with his brother. You clap your hands and do a fake laugh when you want attention, and you eat like food is going out of style. You are a source of constant delight to everyone you encounter.
And through it all, God has been faithful. Yet, his faithfulness to you didn't start a year ago on your birthday. It began in eternity past when He made a way for you to be made right with Him by sending His son to die on your behalf. May you grow up to accept His gift of salvation and make it your own. May you always walk close to Him and do great things for Him. Because He has done great things for you.
