Most days you wake up, expecting it to be just another day. Then something happens to jar you. God uses these moments to awaken you, to help you to draw near to him. Tuesday was one of those days for me…for us.

Ryan was on duty and I had Avelines 6 month well child visit scheduled, it had been scheduled long before we had Ryans winter work schedule so I just went ahead and took the girls by myself. I mean, hey, it was just a normal checkup and one of her shots, right? Everything went smoothly, we got all of the measurements, she was still 98% for her length and down to 71% for weight, still a healthy growing girl. Then the pediatrician came in, “we need to talk about Avelines head growth…”.

To put it in laments terms, and to make a long story short, the size of her head has slowed in growth, almost no growth in the past two months. An infants head has two soft spots and 3 sutures on the skull so that the skull can continue to grow with the infant, and in time these pieces of bone will close up. However, if any of these sutures close up too early it can cause the head growth to decrease and can cause the head to grow funny…Upon further examination the pediatrician was having trouble feeling the sagittal suture that runs from front to back. The problem is, if this has closed up or is in the process of closing up sooner than it should, it could cause her head to grow in a cone shape. Surgery would be necessary almost immediately in order to open this suture back up to allow her head to continue to grow properly. X-rays of her skull were ordered directly…

Here I am with no cell service, my husband is on duty at the Coast Guard station, I have a two and a half year old who wants a sticker and a snack, and has to go potty, a 6 month old who up until a few moments ago I had no concerns, and now she is facing the possibility of needing surgery because she might not be growing properly…no one to cry to, no one to share my fears…just sit in the waiting room for the x-rays, and try to compose myself and be strong for my two little girls.

I prayed.

They called me back, Novella went behind the screen to enjoy stickers and and balls, while I was draped in a shield in the x-ray room with a nurse. While we held Aveline down and another nurse took the X-rays. She screamed, she wailed, she fought us tooth and nail. I had tears streaming down my face… Seeing my daughter being held against her will, but for her own sake, to feel fear that something was wrong and there was nothing I could do to make it better myself, to try and hum or sing her favorite song (I have Decided to Follow Jesus) but couldn’t because I was trying not to sob uncontrollably because all I wanted to do was pick up my baby, hush her and let her know it would all be okay.

I prayed.

We left, I called Ryan, told him what was going on. He was calm, he listened, asked questions, said to call back with results. I would later find out that he did not hold himself together long. Fear for his daughter, feeling like he couldn’t support his family in their moment of struggle due to being on duty…

He prayed.

I called my mother and my mother in law informed them of what was going on, luckily I have a mother in law who is a nurse, and was able to shed light, be able to comfort and even called and explained everything to my mother. They both told family members what was going on.

They prayed.

Aveline fell asleep in the car, I drove around so she could rest. Novella sat quietly…I am sure she could feel the weight that something was going on although she didn’t know or understand what. We picked up lunch, and drove. I cried, I prayed. I don’t remember the last time I prayed so hard for something.

The hospital called…

Everything was within NORMAL range!

No surgery at this time, although we will have to continue to watch the growth and development of her little head. Praise God!!!

We made our calls, we thanked people for their prayers, we prayed more prayers of Thanksgiving! God is so AMAZING!

This was a scary day for us, a day that many people came together in an instant to pray for our sweet daughter. It was a reminder of how fragile life is, how often we take things for granted, how grateful we are for the advances in medicine that would allow for us to be able to make sure our precious little girl is okay!

It’s a reminder that maybe we should be praying more. I know I often fall short in this area. It’s also a good reminder of how amazing prayer is, the power of prayer, and the faithfulness of our Lord and Savior.

Thank you God for protecting our little girls head! Thank you for the reminder to lean on, cry out to, and trust you more. We love you Lord! Amen.