"Audrey was born on July 26, 2006. But it was a rough pregnancy getting there..."

I had trouble getting pregnant and wound up having to take fertility meds, and then once I got pregnant, I was sick the entire time with morning sickness.

The only time that I was sicker than normal was when I flew home to visit family in Alabama for a long weekend. I got really sick and dehydrated and wound up in the hospital. Audrey was ok throughout me being sick, but it was pretty tough.

I wound up being induced on July 25 because of decreased fetal movement. 14 hours later, Audrey was born. She was jaundiced and her platelets were low, and her head was a little small.

24 hours after she was born, she was transferred to the NICU at a hospital about an hour away. We found out three days after she got there that she had CMV. The doctors there checked her eyes, which were ok, but Audrey failed a hearing screen. An ultrasound showed enlarged liver and spleen, and a CT scan showed calcifications and atrophy of the brain. The doctor told us point blank that Audrey would probably never be normal.

The infectious disease doctor that Audrey saw was different - he was wonderful. He was supportive and told us to be positive because her calcifications and atrophy weren't that serious.

Since then, Audrey is doing pretty well. She has some developmental delay, so at 19 months, she isn't standing or walking on her own. She is deaf - but we're in the process of getting her ready for cochlear implant surgery. She's had some kidney issues, but no one can tell me if it has anything to do with CMV yet.

We're hopeful, but still concerned. She wants to communicate, and wants to do things - she loves to shop, and loves to play with her daddy. I'm able to stay home with her, which is a big advantage for her. But that's my daughter!

- Submitted by her mother, Lori