{"id":3309,"date":"2018-02-25T13:18:38","date_gmt":"2018-02-25T18:18:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kerrspot.com\/?p=3309"},"modified":"2018-02-25T17:06:31","modified_gmt":"2018-02-25T22:06:31","slug":"normal-kid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/kerrspot.com\/normal-kid\/","title":{"rendered":"Raising Our “Normal Kid”"},"content":{"rendered":"

The morning of September 6, 2017, Aaron and I took Owen to the surgeon\u2019s office for his post-op appointment. \u00a0We had a feeling it would be a pretty straightforward appointment since everything had gone so smoothly with his recovery. \u00a0Owen came home from the hospital two days after surgery, and the following day he was off all pain medication.<\/p>\n

Toward the end of our appointment, Dr. DeCou said, \u201cWell, I don\u2019t really see the need for any follow-up x-rays.\u201d \u00a0This comment caught us both by surprise. \u00a0We were expecting Owen would need another year or two of follow up.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo you mean we just raise him like a normal kid?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n

In the half second while I waited for a response, memories began flashing through my mind: \u00a0The initial phone call when I heard something was seriously wrong. \u00a0The frequent ultrasounds checking for signs of heart failure. \u00a0The painful and emotionally draining CT scan when Owen was five months old.<\/p>\n

And now we could pretend like it never happened.<\/p>\n

It did happen, of course, and it changed us. \u00a0We walked out of the surgeon\u2019s office that day carrying our sixth child, took him home to his four big sisters and one big brother, and knew we had crossed the finish line.<\/p>\n

As the days go by, we raise our \u201cnormal kid,\u201d though in reality Owen is anything but ordinary. \u00a0Just like his siblings, he finds ways to amaze us every day. \u00a0One thing we enjoy most about him is the look of delight that\u2019s almost always on his face. \u00a0He\u2019s curious about the world, and as he watches and interacts with new things, his smile is completely captivating.<\/p>\n

Our \u201cyoung warrior\u201d is healthy and strong. \u00a0His left lung has one lobe instead of two, but it surely isn\u2019t slowing him down. \u00a0While his lung won’t grow new bronchioles, it will continue to expand and fill the space where the diseased lower lobe once was. \u00a0And while we may never see an x-ray of the expanded lung, our sense is that God\u2019s going to use Owen\u2019s lungs to do great things.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor from him and through him and for him are all things. \u00a0To him be the glory forever! \u00a0Amen.\u201d \u00a0\u2014Romans 11:36<\/p>\n

\"\"
Owen leaving the hospital two days after surgery<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"
Owen trying on wooden shoes at the Dutch Village in Holland a week after surgery.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"
Owen with his surgeon, Dr. DeCou, at his final post-operation appointment.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"
Owen’s scars a few weeks after surgery.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"
Owen’s scars 5 months after surgery.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"
Our family in October 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The morning of September 6, 2017, Aaron and I took Owen to the surgeon\u2019s office for his post-op appointment. \u00a0We had a feeling it would be a pretty straightforward appointment since everything had gone so smoothly with his recovery. \u00a0Owen came home from the hospital two days after surgery, and the following day he was […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nRaising Our "Normal Kid" - The Kerr Family<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/kerrspot.com\/normal-kid\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Raising Our "Normal Kid" - 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