Life...beyond perfect to us now!

After the birth of my daughter in 2006 we decided our family was complete. I signed paperwork to have my tubes tied only to call and cancel a week before my procedure. There was a sadness that took over me at the thought of not being able to have children again.

After nearly eight years we decided we would try for another baby. There was just something missing from our family.

We first talked with our other two children to see how they felt about it. My son, who was 11 at the time was all for it. My daughter, who had been "the baby" for 8 years was devastated. She was so afraid that the new baby would "take her place." I reassured her that she would always be my baby & I loved all my children equally. My son wanted a new baby so badly that he even tried convincing his sister. Once she decided she was ok with it she wanted the baby now!

We found out we were pregnant in November of 2013. Three months after we started trying.

Everyone was over the moon excited!!! We included the kids in everything that had to do with the baby. We scheduled a 3D/4D ultrasound at around 18 weeks to find out the gender of the baby since they kids wouldn't be able to attend the anatomy scan. The looks on their faces & the excitement in their voices when the technician placed the wand on my belly and their baby brother or sister showed up on the big screen television nearly brought me to tears. I could tell right then that the love that they had for this baby was immeasurable.

That day we found out we were having another boy. I think my daughter was secretly happy about that because it meant she was still "Daddy's girl." The whole way home the kids passed the 4D ultrasound pictures back & forth in the backseat, chatting about who he looked like. We all agreed that he favored his big brother. They were both so proud!

I got my repeat cesarean delivery date at the beginning of July 2014. I delivered our baby boy on July 16th, 2014 at 7:55 in the morning.

Once back in my hospital room we all waited until he was released from the nursery. They were having a bit of a time bringing his temperature up. My daughter was so anxious! She just couldn't wait to get her hands on him. Both of my children walked back and forth from my room to the nursery window across the hall. The anticipation was almost too much for them to bear. For months they rubbed and talked to my belly and finally the baby they'd waited nine long months for was within arms reach!

After what seemed like an eternity, my husband and two children, all with smiles from ear to ear followed the nurse as she rolled the baby into my room. Life at that moment was perfect. We all basked in the beauty of this new born life that we had been blessed with.

Hours after Tate's birth things went downhill fast. What started out as a celebration of the birth of our third child, their baby brother, quickly turned into a day of tears. A day of uncertainty. A day of sadness.

We didn't know what was wrong with Tate, we only knew at the time that he was sick. Very sick.

Witnessing my children's faces go from complete happiness to fear & wanting somebody, anybody, to tell them what was going on was almost more than I could take. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen. They weren't supposed to ever have to go through something like this.

The day of Tate's birth we received the news of his sick heart & that he would have to be flown to the Children's hospital in Birmingham Alabama the next day. That night my daughter stayed with my husband and I at the hospital. She was terrified. She crawled into bed with me and just cried and cried. All I knew to do was love her and tell her that everything was going to be okay.

The next day I was discharged so that we could travel to Birmingham and be with Tate. There was mainly silence from the kids. Every once in a while there would be the sudden question. The ones where you just know their little minds had been pondering. It was heartbreaking. They were scared of the answers they may get.

We made it to the hospital that Tate had been transferred to and after many tests we received his diagnosis. Heterotaxy Syndrome with asplenia and complex CHD. We got his surgery date. July 24th, 2014. Eight days old. Having to explain to my children that they would have to cut open their baby brothers chest to fix his heart was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. They were 11 and 8!!! This wasn't something I thought they would ever have to endure. Never in a million years. But, much to my surprise, they were okay and they were understanding. They were still scared and fearful, but they knew this had to happen. My babies, my sweet, sweet, understanding babies.

Surgery day came & everything went as planned. My daughter spent a lot of her time standing at Tate's crib side rubbing his baby hair to the side & saying over and over "you're too sweet for this." She was so precious to him.

During Tate's recovery the kids had to travel back home with family to start the school year. This was hard. We had spent the summer break as a tight knit family, preparing for, delivering, and ultimately standing by our baby as he fought for his life. But, once again, they understood. They knew that with Tate is where we needed to be at the time and that this was only temporary. Their willingness to work with us as a team and set their own feelings aside for the sake of their brother was overwhelming to me.

The days and weeks came and went. There were many tearful phone calls with our children, mainly because we missed them & they missed us. They never lost sight of the ultimate goal and that was to bring the baby brother that they'd waited so long for home!

The glorious day finally came! We were discharged from the hospital and sent home three weeks after Tate's birth. Having our three children at home was something we were unsure would ever happen. But it did! We survived. We worked as a family and we made it work. I'm not sure where we would be mentally if it hadn't been for our oldest two being so unselfish and understanding. Life may not be how we had envisioned it while I was pregnant with Tate but it is beyond perfect to us now!

Amanda Orso (mom to heterotaxy hero, Tate)