Lyla's Baptism Speech

This is a very special day for my family a very special day for Lyla. I want to start off by thanking everyone for coming and supporting our beautiful daughter today and supporting our family since her birth. The love that we have received from all of u has been extremely overwhelming. The phone calls, the visits, the emails, texts, cards, gifts, dinners, to name a few has helped my family tremendously. Just knowing that all of you stood by us and wanted to be there for us has touched our hearts in a way that is indescribable. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.....1 in 33 children born in the United States will be born with a birth defect. There are over 4,000 birth defects and it just so happened we were one of the many families effected by a birth defect ours being Achondroplasia(the most common form of dwarfism). Some people might call this fate. Eddie and I call this luck. We feel that we are the luckiest parents in the world to have been given such a special child. When something like this happens to you you start to reevaluate your life. Lyla is not even 4 months old and already she has given us so much. The first thing she has taught me is strength. Second she has taught me to appreciate life. She has brought my family closer together a bond I thought was already tight. She has introduced us to a world of very special people. People that we never would've had the privilege of knowing if she wasn't born with this condition.But most of all she has given our daughter Emma the gift of a sister. And anyone who has a sister a sister like I do knows there is nothing like it. Love u Michelle . Our Emma loves her baby sister and she has an immediate best friend.

Right now I am going to read to you a poem that was given to us by other parents with children who have Achondroplasia and hopefully it will give you a better perspective on what it's like to raise a special child.

Welcome to Holland
I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......
When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.
After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."
"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."
But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.
The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.
So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.
It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.
And... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.


Eddie and I are in holland and we think it's awesome!

Now I want to say a toast to 3 amazing people. I would like to pay special recognition to my father-in-law Edward Granshaw because he decided to watch his special granddaughter so Eddie and I could go back to work knowing she was in good hands. I would like to say something to my wonderful husband Eddie. Everyday I wake up and pinch myself because I can't believe how beautiful our life is. It is a dream come true and I thank you for being the supportive husband you are and the most incredible father to our daughters. Next to Emma Grace. Emma on the day you were born mommy and daddy's life began. We love you so much and Lastly to our sweet Lyla. You have opened up mommy and daddy's hearts to a world full of unconditional love. Thank you so much. We love you. Please continue to pray for our Lyla. We love you guys. God Bless Lyla Rose!

Support, Support, Support!!!!!!

The four days we spent in the hospital was so overwhelming. Eddie and I decided to send out a mass email to all our family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers and inform everyone on Lyla's condition. When we first found out we just told immediate family. We wanted to wait until Lyla was born and we had the correct diagnosis before we told people. Once the diagnosis was confirmed we sent out the email and the outpour of love from all over was so uplifting and inspirational! We had so many phone calls, texts, emails, and visitors. I actually printed out each email and made a book for Lyla so she knows how many people loved her at the time of her birth and supported her no matter what. These same people have continued to love her and we know Lyla couldn't have been born into a better family/community. The best part was that Emma had a new baby sister and she was so excited! Here are some photos of our time in the hospital!

Lyla's Birth

Lyla was 6 days overdue. So they decided to induce me. When we spoke to experts at John Hopkins Medical Center they told us that a natural birth would be okay as long as the baby's head wasn't too big for delivery. Lyla's head was on the smaller side (even though one of the characteristics of an Achon is a large head). We also were in touch with Dr. Bober from DuPont Children's Hospital. He gave every test that needed to be done to ensure Lyla's safety after she was born and to check to see if she would be born with any health complications. After spending the night at the hospital the baby went into fetal distress and Lyla Rose Granshaw was born into this wonderful world on September 21, 2010. She weighed 7lbs. 6oz. and was 18 inches long. She was so beautiful! She looked just like her gorgeous big sister Emma Grace! She was wisked away by NICU doctors to get all necessary tests ordered through Dr. Bober. Eddie stayed by her side the entire time. Making sure our sweet baby girl was well taken care of.

I felt such relief the birth was over but was nervous on the outcomes of these tests. Luckily she passed each test with flying colors. We were very fortunate that we new Lyla would be born with Achondroplasia. We were well prepared for her birth and so was the entire hospital. Everyone was anticipating her arrival! She was a STAR!