4 years

Sometimes when you hear someone's story and realize what they have been through you might ask, Where was God? I have to admit that before I was able to be a part of one of these stories I felt the same way.  But now, 4 years later, looking back on one little man's story I know God was always there.
Today Aidric aka "bug" turns 4.  When his belly Mom was pregnant with him, chances are she would have never had prenatal care.  But, she was incarcerated shortly after she became pregnant- which means Aidric had full prenatal care.  If she hadn't been incarcerated and had the prenatal care they would have probably never found his defect, PUV, which can be fatal.  Because of the testing and finding out that he had this defect he was delivered 4 weeks early.  He had surgery to repair his valves and spent the first month of his life in the NICU at Columbus Children's.  In his time there although he did not have any family to see him God provided nurses that loved him like their own.  This is when we came in.  Only a few months after losing Connor.  A few weeks after our home study was official. The first phone call we got.  It wasn't even from our social worker, but from the assessor who did our homestudy.  She knew this baby was for us.  Tj wasn't so sure.  He was scared. I was scared- but I knew we needed him.  So, the next week we spent 3 days traveling back and forth to take the steps to get him out of the NICU.  Three days of training, feeding and necessary paperwork.  The night we brought him home was a bittersweet night.  Having a baby boy- not the one I had given birth to- yet a baby who did not have a mama to care for him.  Here we were in this situation neither of us had chosen and God seemed to know we needed each other.  We loved this boy from the moment we met him.  He taught our family even more about love, about trust and about dedication.  In the 3 weeks he was with us.  He was ours.  Then the time came for the appointments at Children's.  The testing- the awful results about kidney failure and cathing every three hours.  The scary statistics and the opposite of all we were planning on hearing.  This was a point when I thought - where is God!? But then, when the thoughts settled and we talked and prayed and realized that we were not able to be the best family for bug.  Then I received the phone call that they had found a family.  A mother in nursing school, who was comfortable and capable of things I couldn't bring myself to live through so soon after Connor.  Within a week he was with his new family.  His forever family.  A family who has become like a little extension of our family.  In 4 years God has seen this little guy through some major hurtles and sent him onto the paths to get him where he is today.  Where he belongs- home.  He is a smart, strong willed, sensitive little thing.  He loves choo choos and playing outside and has even been able to start swimming.  He has had the medical care and the love to help heal his kidneys to a wonderful place and he is thriving medically, socially and as a little kid in general! I am so blessed to have him be a part of my life.  To know that this little one who helped my heart heal has ended up right where God had meant him to be all along.  Happy Birthday Bug-