Blessing the Becketts

As if told from Declan's point of view...
I am a wee little one, nestled comfortably in my mommy's womb. Right now I'm warm and nourished, and very active and comfortable. I have not seen the faces of my mom or dad, or 6 older brothers yet, but I can already hear them and feel their love. In just a few short weeks I will be leaving this home I've known for the last 8 months and my world will change as I know it...
You see, 3 months ago my mom found out I had a single umbilical artery. This usually means that babies like me will be a little bit smaller than babies who have the normal two arteries. Sometimes the SUA is not a problem but it usually tells the doctors that something else is not exactly right. A few weeks later the doctors did more in depth examinations and found out that I have a Congenital Heart Defect. This means that my heart did not form exactly how it should have in the first few days of my creation. The doctors have explained all of the details to my mom and dad and have been watching me grow and develop every few weeks. Now that I'm almost born, the doctors have told my mom and dad that I will need open heart surgery to correct (but not cure) my CHD...
In a few weeks I will enter the world and leave this comfortable, loving womb, and I will have to work really hard to survive. My heart needs to work harder to get blood pumped through, and even when it does, it's not circulating as it should. Instead of being able to cozy up in my mom's recovery room with her, I will be taken to the NICU where the doctors can watch me very closely and give me some medicine that will make things a little bit easier on my heart for a few days. But then I have to leave. I have to go to another hospital an hour away, where they have doctors who really know a lot about my heart and how to fix it. Mom will come too, but Dad and brothers can't stay at the hospital so they have to find somewhere else to go. This can't be cheap! Especially since I will be in the hospital for a couple of weeks. Oh, and they have to eat too! So my mom thought of a way that maybe they could raise/save some money, and people can also support other babies like me... this campaign and some t-shirts. www.booster.com/littlefirefly 
Please order a shirt. Or two. Or three. Give them to friends, share my story, and pray for me and my family. Please. It's as easy as that. Wear the shirt. Spread CHD awareness, and the word of GOD, at the same time! How awesome is that? My mom really loves God. She really trusts Him. And that makes all of this a little easier for her. She has strength. Because of Him.
I know everything is going to be ok. The doctors will cut open my chest and fix my walnut sized heart and stitch me back together again. I will have a really cool scar. I heard "chicks dig scars". And I will be ok. After the surgery, my mom and dad will see a bunch of scary wires and tubes all around me, but this is to make sure that I'm doing ok. After a week or so, most of the tubes can go away and I can move to a recovery room for a week. Then, as long as my heart is working good, and my "numbers" are ok, I can finally go home! I can go meet my dog, and be with my brothers, and snuggle my mom and dad... I'm so excited, I just can't wait. I know they must be excited too. But right now, I think they are a little bit scared. See, I don't really know all of this is going to happen to me, but they do. And it is very overwhelming at times. So please pray for them. And pray for me. And support our family, and others with CHD. I can't wait to see you soon!
Baby Declan (Little Firefly-a light in the darkness, a symbol of hope)

Thank you for all of your love, prayers, and support. Due to the many expenses we will incur with welcoming Baby Declan, and having to stay in Seattle while he has open heart surgery and recovery (approximately 2 weeks), we have created a way for loved ones to bless us in a practical way-this account. Thank you again, from all of us.