Rachel greeted me at the front door on a hot Saturday afternoon in August with a smile on her face. But that’s nothing new, as Rachel is always smiling! She welcomed me into their home, a place she and Brett are so happy to be settled into with Baby Samuel! It was a great day for an at home family lifestyle session.
Samuel Caleb Spurrier was born on Wednesday, June 24th at 6 lbs. 6oz. + 20 1/2 inches long. During Rachel’s pregnancy, an ultrasound showed that Samuel has Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. At five days old, he underwent his first open heart surgery, The Norwood Procedure. While he was being cared for at Children’s Hospital, he earned a bead for every poke, every blood draw and for meeting his goals! These are called The Beads of Courage. I was excited Rachel wanted to feature them in his session. I held back the tears at the magnitude of what this sweet boy has already gone through when I saw how long his strand of beads was!
Samuel exceeded all expectations! Just 18 days after his surgery, he was discharged to go home. His doctors anticipate his next procedure to performed sometime this fall. He will also have a third procedure done as he grows.
Sweet Samuel, if there’s one thing I know, God is going to use you. He’s already using you in ways we can’t even see. You are a fighter. You are a warrior. You are so loved and wanted. The way your mom and dad look at you brings me such great joy! Here are a few of my favorites from our time together:
Love + Blessings,
LA
[…] last time you guys caught the Spurrier family on my blog, Samuel was just a tiny little thing! He was fresh out of the NICU and having rocked open heart […]