The Beginning of Our Spina Bifida Story

We are less than two weeks away from a major surgery for our daughter, Butterfly. We are already asking for prayer and may be including updates on her status post-surgery on this blog. Most people who would take the time to read this blog know us personally, but may not have known us at the beginning of our adventure with spina bifida. Today, I decided to go back and read again the e-mail we wrote when we announced to all we knew and loved about the extra-special qualities of our unborn baby (That e-mail is below). I hadn't read it in more than five years and it still made me cry. All the emotions that we felt, the fear, the joy, all intermingled... we are feeling some of those same feelings presently as we anticipate this surgery. We are thankful that now, we have an even surer faith in the goodness of our God because we have experienced the many, sometimes quiet and sometimes miraculous, ways God has provided for us in this journey. Here is the beginning of that story:

October 29, 2002

Dearest family and friends,

We are writing this evening with news which we have
previously neglected to tell. It is with hopeful
hearts we write of the wonderful gift of our third
baby, a little girl, who is now minus 20 weeks old. It
has been determined through ultrasound technology that
she has spina bifida, which is a defect in her spine.
Possible complications include fluid buildup in the
skull (which is drained through shunts) and nerve
damage which can affect walking and bowel and bladder
control.

We will be leaving for Vanderbilt Hospital in
Nashville November 7 to consult about an in utero
surgery that might help minimize the above
complications. Many of you will remember our friends
Jason and Susan have a daughter Anna, who
was helped with this surgery. Their story is
wonderfully told on .....................................

At our best moments, we feel so privileged that God
has chosen us to parent this very special little girl.
It also pains us to think that she might suffer in her
life in any way. We are praying for a miracle in her
life and ask that you pray for her and us as well.
Specifically, we are praying for complete healing; if
not that, then the minimal effects of spina bifida for
her life. We are praying that God will guide us
through parenting a special-needs child and that her
life will be full of joy. We also ask for your prayers
regarding the decision we will be making regarding the
in-utero surgery next month. We pray for God's very
clear guidance so that we will be absolutely certain
of the path we must take. Also, pray for E and
L who will, for the first time, not have mommy and
daddy overnight (and potentially for up to 10 nights
in a row if we opt for the surgery). My mom will be
watching them here in Pittsburgh and will need
patience and energy as well as a great sense of humor.

We would be remiss if we didn't acknowledge the many
ways God has already blessed us in preparing for this.
For example, not only did we pray with Jason and Susan
over Anna, but our next door neighbors here in
Pittsburgh have a five-year-old daughter with spina
bifida. God has always been and will always be
faithful in the lives of those who love him and we
certainly do!

We will keep you informed of any developments and
please know that we will try to answer any questions
you may have... there is just so much that we don't
know yet ourselves.

These verses have been given to us several times in
the last week and have brought us comfort. So in
closing, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do
not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in
all you do, and he will direct your paths." Proverbs
3:5-6

Love, B and Amy Smith

Here Puppy! Come Home Boy!

Our dog Hank is a lucky dog. His best friend Z, a three-year-old adorable Shorkie girl, lives right next door. Our yards share a fence and the two dogs spend many hours there each week visiting, occasionally working on one of the 10 or so pairs of holes they are attempting to dig under the fence so that they can have 24/7 access to one another. Our human neighbors are as delightful as their dog and we indulgent pet owners have agreed to let the two dogs keep at their efforts. It wouldn't be so bad if they had a little doggy "door" into one another's yards.

Several times a week, we put Hank in Z's yard. We literally pick him up and drop him on the other side of the fence. His legs begin running before he even hits the ground and Z is on-the-ready to chase after him. They will play chase and tug-of-war until they are exhausted and then they'll laze in the yard together until it's time for Hank to come home.

When we go to get Hank, he is always ready to come home. Until quite recently, he would race toward us and begin leaping from Z's side of the fence until we caught him in mid-air and assisted his jump back over into our yard. Gradually, it began to occur to us, and eventually to Hank, that he was jumping high enough to clear the fence without our assistance. (Because Z's yard is about three inches higher than ours, he can jump from her yard to ours but not vice-versa.) So now, all we have to do is call his name and Hank leaps over the fence to come home. Even though it is clear, by his excessive enthusiasm, that he has been longing to come home, he never has made that reuniting leap until we've called him.

I wonder how often I have behaved like Hank, happy to run off in my own direction until I've exhausted myself and then laze around unsure about how to get back where I belong. It is only by spending time with God that I will be able to hear His call so that I can come home. The more time I spend with Him, the sooner I will hear Him.

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
II Timothy 3:16-17

The Way of Life or the Way of Wishy Washy

What is keeping you from making a decision about Jesus? Eventually, we all must choose: is he a lunatic, a liar or Lord?

God wants us to be his children. He wants us to have a way to have a parent/child relationship with him, and yet God, who is perfect (in the absolute sense of the word) requires that those he adopts as his own children are perfect as well. We all know we can't be perfect on our own. But Jesus, as God's own perfect son, provided the way. For Jesus himself said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father but through me." (John 14:6) He took the punishment for our sins by dying on a cross. When we claim Jesus as our Lord, his death cleanses us of all our sin and his resurrection gives promise to our eternal home.

If you haven't decided for Jesus, why are you waiting? Herod Agrippa had been versed in the teaching of Biblical prophets and had been aware of the teachings of Jesus for decades and was finally appealed to by the Apostle Paul, as we read in Acts 26, to believe. But Herod did like so many still do today, he took the way of wishy-washy. He wouldn't deny the veracity of the prophecies, but he wouldn't accept the truth either. He said to Paul, "Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?" How typical of how our generation, our leaders, deal with issues that require decisiveness. We won't say yes and we won't say no, and often we fool ourselves into thinking that are non-answer is a reasonable choice.

In truth, this isn't the first time you have been confronted with the gospel either. You have lived an entire life in which God has revealed himself time and again, just like it was with King Agrippa. Will you be wishy-washy? Or will you flat out rejct and respond like Festus, "You are out of your mind Paul!... Your great learning is driving you insane!" Or will you acknowledge the creator of the universe, the creator of you? Will you be thankful for the gift he has offered through Jesus? Will you accept it? I pray that you will.

We Love Chick-Fil-A!

Today we went to Chick-Fil-A for its Dress Like a Cow promotional event. If you dress like a cow, you get a free meal! That's a no-brainer for us. We like free food (especially Chick-Fil-A) and we enjoy making fools of ourselves (when it's harmless), so away we went. We met some of our favorite friends there (more about them later) and feasted. We saw a lot of cow costumes, including one worn by a grown man (who was not an employee of Chick-Fil-A) in a full cow costume, complete with udders. It was udderly awesome. We all applauded when he walked into the store. Why, I wonder, does a grown man own a full cow costume? No matter. It was moovelous and we appreciate him for it.

You may wonder why Historian isn't with us. He is in Canada fishing with his Papa M. We miss him so much, but we won't stop having fun while he's gone. It makes the time go faster. Yesterday, for example, we went roller skating, swimming and bowling which even the most energetic family has to agree is a lot. In some ways the day still dragged because I am carrying a burden/joy (it really is both), maybe two of those actually, but that will be for another post.