From Daddy to Drake

Drake and Daddy sportin' some shades

Written by Rich: 

Dear Lord in the heavens above

I ask you for a surgical hand with a glove

For our baby has a hole in his heart

And now it needs to be taken apart.

Lord oh Lord in the heavens above

The baby you’ve sent us is very loved

We thank you for him every day 

And we cherish the moments we get to play

The doctors say he’s got something called a VSD

Now, this calls for surgery

Please guide our surgeon with a steady hand 

Today 

Tomorrow

And the day it’s planned

We thank you for Drake every day

So please, I beg of you to let us continue to play play play.

A Heart Full of Love*

Our Drakie was a bit of a grouch when he was first born. His newborn photos have the same, scrunched up facial expression. 

Get off my lawn!

Once Drake began to smile, however, his entire face changed. His sweet, toothless, open-mouthed smile lights up his face, and our world. This baby smiles ALOT. He is a happy boy. 

Hello, World!

His heart, no doubt, is full of love. Love for his family, ESPECIALLY his Big Brother Luke, who Drake already idolizes. Full of love for his toys, for his special blanket, for outside. He loves to eat, loves to be tickled, loves to be read to and cuddled with. His heart is truly full of love.
But it is not full.
Drake was born with a hole in his heart that we hoped would heal with time. During his April cardiology visit, we were told the hole is too big to close on its own, and Drake's heart was working too hard to cope with the hole for us to leave it alone. He needs surgery, we were told. Open-heart surgery to repair the hole. To make it physically full, the way it is already emotionally full.
His operation is this Monday, August 15th. Please keep our Drae-Drae in your thoughts next week. If you're the praying type, please send some his way. We'll be in the hospital all week with him while our loving family takes turns being entertained by Luke's company. 
The doctors and surgeons have assured us that this is what they do, this is what is routine to them. But it's a nightmare for us. So maybe say a prayer for Rich and me too.
We can't wait for this to all be behind us, for Drake's beautiful heart to be full, in every way.
                   xoxo, Momma Lioness Michele
* Big props to those that recognize where this line is from!

7 Months

January, February, March, April, May, June, July...here we are on August 9th.
7 months.
Freezing, non-stop snowing, bitter-cold January to broiling, sweaty, melting August.
The weather isn't the only thing that's changed around here.

This guy came into our lives on January 9th, and our world forever changed for the better.

Happy 7 months, Drake.
We love you more than you can ever imagine.

Rebirth

It's been a long time.
I've missed you.
But it's a new year - to me, at least.
Yesterday was my birthday. 
Today is my first official day being 37 years old alive.
Lots of things have happened since I last wrote on my blog.
Life-changing. Energy-sucking. Time-erasing things.
No-way-can-I-keep-up-my-blog types of things.


But I want to try, again.
So here goes!
Happy Birthday to Me.
Happy Rebirth to my Momma Lioness Blog!