Photo by Sandy (aka Konner

Today my godson, Konner Ryan Birkenberger, turns 1. In the last year — and since before birth — he has beat every odd thrown at him.

When Sandy found out she was pregnant with him, it was almost disaster after disaster. The doctors in Connecticut thought he had Down’s Syndrome, because of the way his nose and the back of his neck were shaped in the ultrasounds. They took amniotic fluid and the results came back negative. Still, they were concerned about his health.

She spent most of her pregnancy in Florida, where the doctors determined that he had some kind of kidney problem. His left kidney, it seemed, was not working properly.

When Konner was born, he gave the world a huge booya! by being a healthy and normal baby boy, aside from the kidney problem. His nose was fine, just the way a baby’s nose is supposed to be. There was extra skin at the back of his neck, yes, but he was a big baby as it was. Shortly after birth he was diagnosed with hydronephrosis. His doctor wanted to remove the left kidney as soon as possible; it was affecting the right kidney. The doctor estimated that he would have to undergo surgery before he was a year old.

Luckily, they are now looking at surgery when he is about 3. The left kidney is doing okay and the right kidney is functioning fine enough for him to get along until it is safer to perform surgery. Konner will never be able to play football or basketball, but we think he’ll be a rockstar.

Photo by Sandy, aka Konner

This Thanksgiving I am thankful that my godson is a healthy and happy baby boy. He is chunky and drooly and says “mamamama” and “a-duh.” He can escape from his car seat better than Houdini ever could. He plays drums with the pots and a spoon, and his smile can light up a room.

Happy birthday, handsome man. May this next year be bright and full of fun for you. I love you.