Awaiting the Miraculous while living in the Normal

As we face trials that are in front of us, sometimes the best thing to do is to take a look back, and remember how faithful God has been. Today I have been doing just that. We went to the orthopedic doctor for her appointment and got her legs casted again. There was obvious improvement just from one week. The plan for her legs at this point is to continue to cast and recast every week for the next 4-6 weeks. That will be followed by a possibility of braces, but because her feet were so severely clubbed it will more likely be surgery. They will put her to sleep and then use a syringe to stab her achilles tendon in order to loosen it. While they are in surgery the doctor will be able to more closely examine her right hip that is dislocated. He will decide then if he needs to also try and stab the tendon in her groin to loosen it. Her hip is going to be a pretty much wait and see approach at this point. After the surgery she will have her legs casted for another 2 weeks, then it will be braces. So we face this trial head on and I am reminded of all the ways God has already worked in her short life. We were very concerned about her heart after the first ultrasound and now that is not even on the radar. We were also worried about her arms and deformities there, while there is less movement than a typical newborn there is movement in all joints and fingers! The next concern was that this was chromosone disorder and so far one of the two test done at birth all results have come back normal! What an awesome reminder to look and be able to see His hand so visible. Also, after delivery her glucose levels dropped to 43 but after trying to get an IV in 9 times they re-tested and without her recieving anything it had gone up to over 108! That just doesn't happen! Then her jaundice numbers spike to over 21 and even with half her body covered in casts in just a few hours they are down to 16.6! Also, she failed her first hearing test and then passed the second. God has His hand on my baby girl and I am so thankful. Today was difficult for me at first seeing what the doctors say is her reality. But then I look back and see that over and over again God has pulled us out of the doctors reality and into His reality! His reality says “I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?" Jeremiah 32:27. It also says "And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well" James 5:15a. This is a reality I have seen and I can live in. So we will continue to follow the advice of the doctor, but more than that we will continue to pray and to anticipate the coming miracles of her healing as we trek on in faith. Sometimes taking the time to look back gives us the courage to move forward. We are not holding on to our own wants or desires but to God and His promises.  Hebrews 10:35-36 " So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised" These verses remind us of why we carry on in faith regardless of what the world says. God has promised and God is faithful! We are so very thankful for the ways He has worked and we have seen His hand working and healing Addie as only He could and we wait with joyful anticipation for what He has next. Some days are hard and some are long, but we are constantly reminded that God's way is best.  "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts" Isaiah 55:9. So we will walk in trust and obedience with full confidence that God is working in and through every detail for our good and His glory. "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28. Oh and a positive end note Addie's levels for jaundice were 13.5 yesterday and a little over 14 today so the doctor is thinking we are in the clear. We will watch her closely over the weekend and as long as she keeps eating and dirtying her diapers we are good! Yet, another praise!

1 Week Old!

Addie is 1 week old today and things are going well. We are out of the hospital for the second time and her numbers are staying down! We were readmitted Tuesday because her jaundice levels had gone up to 21, after much prayer and 6 hours of light therapy they had dropped to 16.6! It can only be explained by prayer because she can only have lights on half her body since her legs are in casts. The doctor had worried that we would be there 2 days instead of the typical 1 because of this. The next morning they had dropped to 13.8 and another draw about 7 hours after that they were 12.7. We were released and sent home. Today they had us come back and do another check to see how she rebounded after being out of the lights all day and it was only at 13.5!! We will go back tomorrow  just to double check that it has stabilized! God has answered us again! Tomorrow will also be our first appointment with the orthopedic doctor who casted her legs at the hospital. This appointment was supposed to be Wednesday, but was rescheduled due to her hospitalization. So tomorrow we will recast her legs, which will be a weekly appointment, and also talk about the plan for her hip. In the midst of the ups and downs God is still with us, answering us, encouraging us, and strengthening us. Today I received a daily devotional that really seemed as if it was written just for us. I am going to share it here so you can all read it. God has not forgotten us and He will answer us in His perfect time. We are continuing to pray and believe for complete healing for our sweet Addie, anticipating it coming exactly when and how He will recieve the most glory!
God's Delay Has Purpose by Aletha Hinthorn 
"But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman" (Galatians 4:4). When we would say God answered prayer in the nick of time, He would declare "the time had fully come." The secret to not losing heart when we experience a delayed answer to prayer is in trusting that His timing is better than ours. God sometimes does delay His answer. When Joseph was in prison, the cupbearer promised to tell the Pharaoh about Joseph, but he "did not remember Joseph; he forgot him." Two full years passed before he remembered. God accomplishes more and His answers are more glorious than if He answered according to our timetable. God always does the right thing. It may seem to us that He delays. But from His point of view, He acts speedily when the perfect time has fully come. Perhaps Mary was desperate for her Son to come to her rescue at the wedding in Cana. (John 2) It was evident the wine was about to be depleted and the wedding party was still going strong. He heard her request but did not respond in a way that assured her He would take care of her concern. Not until the wine was completely gone would the miracle be above suspicion. In Augustine's words, He might seem to have mingled elements rather than to have changed them. Only after all other help fails does our faithful Helper arrive. 
Thank You, Jesus, that Your delays are full of purpose.  
"I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope" (Psalm 130:5).

Back Again!

We are back at the hospital! After getting to go home Sunday afternoon we enjoyed a few sweet hours at home. On the normal check-up for her jaundice she had a high bilirubin level Monday and even higher today so we had to have Addie readmitted. She is under light therapy now and will have her levels redone around 6:00 tonight. The set up here is very nice. The room has multiple chairs, a desk, bed, bathroom and shower all in the same space as Addie and her incubator. It will allow me to stay with her through the night and Mike to work from her room, an added blessing. We are thankful for the nice area so we are able to work and rest while staying close by. Also, her right hip is dislocated but as of yet we have no treatment plan. We had an appointment with the orthopedic doctor scheduled for tomorrow to change her leg casts and discuss hip. It will be moved but not sure to when yet. Addie has been doing much better with nursing, as long as we use a nipple shield, but progress is progress and we will take it. We are still supplementing with the bottle, but we are back to giving her all breast milk as my supply has come in! The boys did really well with meeting her and having her at the house. Stephen the 21 month old struggles a little with sharing me and having to be careful because of my incision, but overall they are excited about sweet baby Addie. Stephen even woke up looking for her. We have been truly blessed with our prayer support and also physical support. My dad is here and caring for the boys which is allowing us to focus on Addie during this time. We were given this verse yesterday in daily devotions 2 Chronicles 16:9a “ For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.” Our prayers now are for continued healing especially with her jaundice and bilirubin levels going down, but also for Mike and I to have the strength that God promises as we go through day by day. Mike is still trying to work and I am still trying to heal so we are relying solely on the strength and peace of God. We are living in Philippians 4:7 “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Our bodies are exhausted but our souls are at rest. God is good and God is faithful

Keep On Keeping On

Well it has been a busy two days. We found out yesterday that Addie had jaundice and needed to be put under lights so she has spent the last two days in a little incubator. They have watched her numbers and after her last test at 5:30 it was low enough for her to come out! Also, I met with a lactation consultant yesterday and today. They were able to give some tips and a shield that has helped Addie be able to latch on. We have still been supplementing, but when my milk comes in I think we will be good. Addie was also seen by the orthopedic doctor tonight. He saw her feet and decided to go ahead and cast them immediately. This will be changed every week slowly trying to straighten them out. The amount of time for this is uncertain and surgery to help stretch her achilles tendon is still possible in the next few months. He also had some concern with her left knee and how tight it is, but thinks that will loosen on its own. The other main concern was with her right hip. It is very tight and he is unable to tell if it is in or out of socket. If it is out of socket she will have to be casted up to her right hip for the next few months with possible surgery on that also. They will be doing a sonogram on her hip in the next day or two to tell if it is in or out of socket. The tightness in her knee and hip is from the breech position unless it is a genetic condition that we are yet unaware of. So as of now we are waiting on results from the sono, cord blood that they tested for genetic issues, and continuing to watch her jaundice levels off the lights. We have seen God working and we are living in His peace. Philippians 4:4-7 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. God has not changed and neither has our faith or the promises on which we are standing. I believe that God gave me Hebrews 10:35 So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. We may not have known all that we were walking into as we were fully expecting her complete healing, but He knew what His plans were and so He gave us this promise. We will hold to Him because He loves us and He keeps His promises! Right now we would ask that you join us in praying for complete healing but specifically for her jaundice levels to stay down. Also, I have a slight temp so that nothing would come from that. Thank you all for your prayers and love support. God is faithful and God is good! Psalm 100 1 Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. 2 Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. 3 Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his[a]; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. 4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. 5 For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Addie Lucille has Arrived!

One of the first things I read this day was Hebrews 10:35 "So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded."  We have held onto these promises through the whole time of this pregnancy and we are hanging on now. We are seeing Him answer! Addie was born today and would you believe she is the baby that stayed in the longest and was the biggest! She was born weighing just over 7 pounds! I was just hoping for over 5 lbs and look at that answer! She measured 17.75 inches. Do you see all the 7s? I was in recovery when I heard the numbers and the nurse commented how neat that there was so many 7 in her stats. God reminded me that 7 is His number for complete. She is complete, she is "fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well" Psalms 139:14. God has been faithful! She was born with the severely clubbed feet and had some trouble with her oxygen levels and glucose shortly after birth. She was taken quickly to the neonatal NICU. So while we have prayed for complete healing upon birth we were reminded of the promises we received in Hebrews 10:36 "You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised" and Isaiah 55:8-9 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." God has answered already and He will continue to. His promises are no less true today than yesterday even though they did not come as we were anticipating. Some examples of His answering  today were the the way Addie was handled in the NICU. I was able to try and nurse as soon as I was able to move to the NICU unit to see her. Then, while she didn't take it she did take over an ounce of breast milk from a bottle! These are great success stories because of her high possibility of jaundice. She also has had 2 bowel movements already which is promising for the jaundice. Then her levels of glucose and oxygen stabilized and she was able to move out of the NICU by 3:30 this afternoon and completely into my room or the nursery. We are still praying for her to nurse because as of yet she has taken one bottle, but not nursed directly. God is faithful and His promises are true! Romans 8:28 " And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." It has been a long day yet we are not discouraged we are hopeful and trusting in the promises of God. So we will continue to pray for her complete and continue to trust God as we go through the next few days of recovery. Thank you all for your prayers. God has heard and He is answering! 

39 Weeks!

I love how faithful God is! There have been moments when I am threatened to doubt or worry and as we close in on the C-Section date fear starts to hit me; but time and time again God calms me down. I can't even tell you how many times I have struggled over the idea of a c-section only to receive a call or text from a blessed friend letting me know that they were praying for me that day. Or to tell me they were praying specifically for Addie to turn. What an encouragement to know that God cares enough about us to put us on the hearts of others, and they care enough not only to pray but to reach out. (Actually while writing this I received a text message and 2 Facebook posts encouraging me and sharing that we had been laid on the hearts of someone specifically today.) I have laughed at myself because I am trusting Him so completely for Addie's healing, but when it comes to the C-section I start shaking in my boots! We have been praying for quite awhile though that God would bring Addie into the world in the right way, the right time, and with the right doctor. I know that God has heard my prayers. 1 Peter 3:12a says "For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer." He has heard and just yesterday He breathed on this other verse for me. "Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished" Luke 1:45. Nothing is impossible for God, even with Addie we have seen Him answer our prayers already. The fact that I am still pregnant is an answer in and of itself especially given that she was over 6 pounds 2 weeks ago! So now we wait for Thursday. The C-section is scheduled for 8:00 Thursday morning. We wait and we pray and we believe that God is who He says He is and that He will do what He has promised!