Start from the Beginning

So many people have been praying for our sweet Mia, and have also been curious about her surgery and condition.  Because of that, I have decided to dedicate a little time to talking about my sweet Mia and this crazy thing called "craniosynostosis". 
On January 28, 2011 God blessed our family with an 8lb bundle of joy.  After completing her measurements I can vividly remember the nurse saying "my, she has a big head!".  I don't know why, but those words stuck with me and it always remained in the back of my mind.  We took our new little bundle to her first doctor's appointment when she was just a few days old.  Our regular pediatrician was booked.  Instead, we were placed with a new doctor who had just made the move to Highland Pediatric from T.C. Thompson.  From the moment I met Dr. Good, I knew God had orchestrated this change.  I had never met a more caring and loving doctor and I was thrilled to have my girls under his care.
Fast forward 3 months.  Time for check ups and shots.  Both girls were due (Mia's 3 month, Maddie's 4 year).  I absent-mindedly scheduled the appointment on a day Drew would not be able to stay the entire time.  And, of course, right before the shots were administered, exit stage left for daddy.  After screaming and gnashing of teeth, the shots were over and we were ready to hit the door.  Dr. Good smiles at me and says "you have two beautiful health girls".  But then as he was handing Mia back to me, I saw him slowly  furrow his brow.  I watched as he slowly and meticulously observed Mia.  I can remember holding my breath a little waiting to hear what I could tell was bothering him.  Finally, he asked "have you ever noticed that her forehead protrudes a little"?  Taken back a little I replied "I suppose... but I just thought she had a goofy shaped head.  Don't all babies have goofy shaped heads?"  After a little more observation he very calmly talked to me about the fact that he was a little concerned and would like to see her back in a month to see if it improved. 
Deep breath.....
Immediately my medical mind went in to overload.  I got on the computer and started the research.  That's when I learned about a word that would change our lives... craniosynostosis.  I couldn't even pronounce it... and I teach medical terminology!  In a matter of hours, I became and expert on the condition.  The way I explain it today is this... babies are born with their skull in pieces...on purpose!  It allows for brain growth and expansion.  Two of Mia's bones have fused early.  So the suture (joint) that runs in the direction from nose to back of the head is already joined when it should be separate.  This will not allow her head to grow in a east and west direction but instead in a north/south direction (giving her head a "boat like" shape). 
Poor Drew... by the time he got home I was a wreck.  I can remember just saying to him... "Dr. Good just said she was healthy and was handing her back to me... why couldn't he just have stopped there?"  I cried, and worried and cried and researched. 
The next few weeks were torment.  The first few days I almost didn't even want to see her.  I was afraid it would confirm my suspicions and cause me to spiral in to a tornado of worry and anxiety.  Aaaannd... it did.  She was all I could think about.  I would go to her crib and just stare at her as she was sleeping... and I would analyze that head.  One moment I would say, "there's nothing wrong with her head, she's completely normal".  The next I was convinced the opposite.  The remainder of my time was spent looking at pictures of her, pictures of me as a baby, picture of other babies... you get the idea.  I would just compare and analyze.  It had monopolized my thoughts. 
One month had passed and it was time for the re-check with Dr. Good.  The first few minutes were spent discussing her acid reflux problems and success with her new medications.  I finally blurted out, "okay, let's talk about the head".  Dr. Good smiled, put down Mia's file, looked at me and said, "What do you think, mom?"  I started babbling about how I had an odd shaped head as a baby and when she scrunches up her face it makes it appear worse, and... then I just stopped.  We both stayed silent for a minute.  He knew I knew, but I just couldn't admit it.  So, he in the most loving way possible said, "I think we should get her checked out by a specialist".  I just nodded... and bit my lip to fight the tears.  I squeezed Drew's hand and he squeezed back.  I felt like this was the first step in this long marathon we were all about to embark on.  Dr. Good hugged me and kept his arm around me for a long time and let me just digest the news.  "Ready for the good news?", he says.  "The number one surgeon for the surgery to correct this procedure is located right here in Chattanooga, Tennessee.  He wrote the book on this surgery and has been performing this procedure for over 25 years."  A.K.A. God said "I got this".
Dr. Good got us in the see this amazing surgeon in just one week.  Honestly, I remember having hope that he would walk in and say "she looks fine.  It's just a mild case that will take care of it self.  I don't think she needs surgery."  It went a lot different than that.  He walked it with an entourage of people, looked at Mia, rubbed her head, scribbled a few notes down and said, "I believe she's a surgery candidate".  My heart sunk.. and reality hit hard.  After he left the room, we met Leslie, his nurse practitioner.  She knew we were overwhelmed so she took as long as we needed to answer lots of questions and digest the new info.  She explained as much as we needed to know at that time and then left us with a lot of info to read. 
Drew and I got in the car and just sat there for a while.  No one ever warned us that having kids comes with all this stress too.  But, we knew our God is bigger than craniosynostosis... and Mia Hope had a special purpose on this earth.
Next came the CT scan, also known as the longest 10 minutes of my life.  She did great, and the results just confirmed her diagnosis.  Next we met Dr. Strait, her neurosurgeon.  He went into detail about what would happen during surgery.  It was good for me to hear... Drew hated it.  If he could have put his fingers in his ears and said "la la la la la", I think he would have. 
My health science kids at school surprised me by hosting a blood drive in honor of Mia.  It was a huge success and deemed the most successful blood drive in Hixson High history.  I was humbled by the generosity of over 110 Hixson High students who showed their support for my little sweetheart.
One more meeting with Dr. Sargent to confirm a surgery date and a few more questions for Leslie.  December 9th... it seemed so far away, but here we are.  It's time.  I don't know if I am ready, but I don't think I ever really would be.  My prayer is that God be glorified through this process.  I hope Mia's journey would be a witness to God's love and mercy.  She's one special kid.  Within seconds of meeting her you will quickly draw the same conclusion.  I can't wait to see what God has in store for her life.