A Change of Heart...

During K's pregnancy I found myself fascinated by the slow and steady development of our son in utero.  I loved reading about all of the unique changes week-to-week as he grew closer and closer to his fully-human state.  Some of our doctor friends picked up on my curiosity and shared with me about the miraculous changes that take place the moment a baby exits the mother's body.  During gestation the baby's heart serves as a simple pump to cycle oxygenated blood from it's mother's body (via the umbilical cord) throughout the fetus in order to sustain life and the growth that I have found so fascinating.  The moment the baby leaves the mothers body, it's own body trigger's the fetal heart (magically it seems...) to transform instantly into a fully functioning human heart.  With a sudden reversal of pressure a valve within the heart closes and blood begins to flow to the lungs as the baby grunts to breath for the first time.  Within seconds the young heart is transformed into it a four-chambered, life-giving engine, enabling circulation and the ability to exchange oxygen with the outside world. 

I remember clearly the first moments when C. struggled for his first breaths outside of his mother. slimy and purple, he squirmed looking confused and overwhelmed by his new surroundings... And in an single instant, upon one look at him I knew I had immediately gone through my own change of heart.  This little creature was immediately knit into my soul and therefore I would do anything to protect him.  As if subconsciously, without hesitation I knew I would willingly die for this little kid.  Cashian has changed our hearts in a new and sobbering way and has kept us amazed at how one could love so much...