update pics

i know he looks like a normal little fat kid in the one next to this... he's getting there. he's 4#12oz. and 18". bigger than his brother when he was born. and as sweet as possible. you may notice the lump on the right side of his little head. baby luke had a grade 3 brain bleed at birth and because of the blockage of csf, he developed hydrocephalus. sounds pretty bad, but as far as it goes, baby has done remarkably well. a reservoir, that had been tapped daily with a small needle to aspirate excess csf, was placed until the little boy is big enough to undergo shunt placement. but, alas, that day is upon us. he is, so far, scheduled for surgery on monday. if you remember us in your prayers, please pray that over the remainder of this week, that God will be in the plans and if it's absolutely necessary, that He will hold my boy in his palm thruout the surgery and recovery. a shunt is a lifetime device. once placed, it will never be removed. if it's necessary for luke to thrive, then i'm ready for it. this has been the thing that is hard to share because it makes my child different. everyone can see the little egg on his head and see that he has something going on. when the reservoir was first placed, it broke my heart because up until then, you couldn't see anything different. luke was just another special preemie with the usual complications of his condition, but when they shaved his little head and placed this obnoxious device, now everyone could see. i don't want him to be vulnerable. it's taken a lot to share this, but it's part of coping. he's an amazing child and regardless of his bad hair day haircut, he's beautiful. now i kiss the little part of his head that bulges, covered with soft peach fuzz growing back and know it's just another part of a special boy that i love unconditionally.