Sam's Video. Birth to six months.

I've been "processing" lately, trying to make some meaning out of what the heck just happened to our lives in the last year or so. One result of that has been this video. I wanted to put together some of the pictures and our key moments into a 'snapshot' of our journey. In particular, I hope it could offer hope to other CDH parents still in the belly of this beast. I remember looking to blogs for information and being completely overwhelmed but I found this one blog with a video like this one, where I got to see - with only five minutes and minimal cognitive abilities required - that things could look just as bleak as they did for us and there was a happy ending.

The music here is important. Baby Mine is the lullaby that I sing to my boys. I sang this song to Samuel when he was safe in my belly. I sang it to myself in the delivery room when I needed some soothing of my own. I sang it to Samuel throughout his rough days and all my kids still request it when they can't sleep. I have made up some different words that are just for my boys but I thought you would appreciate the Bette Midler version more than my lame-o singing.

What a Wonderful World - the original Louis Armstrong version - was one of my Grandma's favourite songs and it was sung at her funeral last October. Before she died, we told her that our baby was being named for her (Meira, the feminine of Meir, means Margaret and Helen in Hebrew and so is to honour both of my grandmothers). We also told her that the baby was really sick and she said only, "God will take care of things." Chris and I both felt her presence at the fetal echocardiogram shortly after she died and I've often remembered her message there, that Samuel's heart was perfect. Her faith and strength have been a quiet companion to me through this journey. And really, the words of this song kind of say it all.

Hope you like this glimpse into Sam's beginnings.

Love,
Corinne