Three months later, you had a tracheotomy tube put in to help you breathe. By four months, you could finally lie on your back. That’s when we got to bring you home, where your siblings showered you with love. They crowded around you, not batting an eyelid at how you look. ‘It’s my turn to cuddle him,’ they’d argue. Admittedly, I was scared to take you out in public at first. People can be cruel and I worried they’d ogle or bombard me with rude questions about your looks. Instead, I was stunned by their kindness. Strangers did stare, but it was to admire your beautiful smile. ‘He’s such a happy boy,’ they’d say.
Before you were born your dad and I started a Facebook page about you, to help prepare our friends and family and answer any questions. From there, news of you spread. You practically became a little local celebrity! People stopped me in the street just to say hello to you. Zackary, to this day, your smile lights up the room. I know your bubbly personality will gain you plenty of friends in life. I can’t wait to watch you grow up, find love and even start a family of your own.