Believe

For those of you who are close friends and family- you all know about my obsession with turtles. Turtle newborn photography, turtle stuffed animals, turtle clothing, turtle bedroom, turtle toys, turtle books... it goes on.

A few of my family members make jokes about my turtle obsession; but tonight-through this post which is WAY overdue- I promise to prove that it is so much more than that. To some it may seem silly, but to me- the meaning behind the turtle in my life means more than you could imagine.

A month after I found out I was pregnant I asked Mike to take me to the NJ State Aquarium. While visiting I envisioned my life with my future baby. Someday taking them back to this very place. The very place that little did I know at the time, would have so much impact on my life. 

Before we left, I had to visit the souvenir shop and pick something out for my future little one. That is when I looked at a huge pile of stuffed animals and there it was- the sea turtle. The turtle that I fell in love with while walking through the exhibit. "Here Mike! There it is! This will be our baby's first stuffed animal!" 

So, you're probably wondering why this turtle has so much significance in my life. Well, the day I found out the odds of Michael having Down Syndrome, I went into his room and opened up the souvenir bag and grabbed the sea turtle. I wept all night long holding the turtle so tight. Praying and hoping that our baby would be okay and that God would keep him safe. 

From that night on the sea turtle slept with me each and every night. I named him peanut, which is how we started calling Michael "Pea". This turtle helped me through some of the darkest days by reminding me that I had such a beautiful future ahead of me.

When I was stuck trying to figure out what I could do for Michael's nursery theme I picked "turtles". It made perfect sense and I was so very excited because I had not known anyone who had done turtles. 

So, the reason for my blog tonight is to prove that this turtle fever has so much meaning in my life then just some silly obsession that everyone thinks I have.

When Michael was in the hospital getting testing done to evaluate if he was having seizures we ended up in a room with a distinct picture over Michael's crib. This picture was drawn and framed by a small child who was once on the floor. Of all the rooms that we could have been placed in, I know that God made sure that we ended up in this room. 

So please, take a close look at the framed picture from Michael's hospital room and tell me that this was not coincidence and that my baby definitely has someone special watching over him. That this turtle obsession I have truly has meaning to me and my son's lives. It is a pure act of God and brings so many happy tears to my eyes every time I am reminded of this picture. (FYI- Michael is currently seizure free!)