Dear Son

Dear son, You have recently been diagnosed with a mitral valve cleft that will need to be corrected surgically within a few years. I know that your heart is whole, and I know that you will be okay. Every once in a while, though, I feel the old terror take hold. That perhaps something will go wrong, that you will be harmed by the very hands that are there to help. That you will be handed back to me different than you'd left, or worse. But your sister and I need you, and I have to know that you will be okay, that you will be better than before. My darling boy, we have also learned that the reason you have such a hard time communicating with us is that you have a mild form of verbal apraxia. Your brain has a hard time telling your mouth which shapes to make to make the sounds you need to speak. The same disorganization could be the reason you have a hard time opening doors, working puzzles , and pedaling your tricycle. Helping you through this will be hard, and the road will be long. You, however, have made a habit of proving everyone wrong. One of your few multi-word phrases is, "oops, try again." And try again you do. You never give up, and you always find a way to make yourself understood. And your sister and I knowthhat this won't stop you either. We love you. Mama and Monkey B