A lot to take in!

We have had a busy week!  We had a meeting with all 5 of her therapists to go over the 1 year evaluations, create new goals, and create strategies in order to meet those goals. The meeting was really hard to sit in and listen to for me. I realize that we need to focus on how far Addie has come and not just where is she is at but wow it just felt like I was sitting there and everyone was telling me everything that is wrong with her. We left with some positive goals though and some great plans to meet them. We are all very pleased with what she has accomplished so far and I know that it is only because of God. Then Friday Addie and I traveled to St. Louis and back to see her hip doctor there. At the appointment we discussed that Addie needs to be 20 pounds before they will even schedule surgery, so at this point she has a little over 3 pounds to gain. Her hip is going to require an intensive surgery where they will move it into place by fixing the ligaments and cutting her bone. Unfortunately at this time they won't be able to correct her socket so most likely she will require a second surgery in about 5 years later when the socket is mature enough to be corrected. Overall it was a good appointment and we were able to work on some of the plans the physical therapist has for her. We are in the process of getting Addie some braces to wear during the day when she is standing up in order to keep her feet in the correct position while allowing her to begin to bear weight. We are also getting her a stander that will hold her up and allow her to weight bear on her hips, legs, and feet. The stander will help her increase her muscles in her legs that she has not had a chance to work on. It will also help strengthen and stretch her back appropriately in ways that she is not getting from always being on the floor. We are really looking forward to the positive outcomes from the braces and standers. BUT, her feet have gotten tight again and so she would not be able to wear the braces in the correct position without hurting her feet. I was able to go see her orthopedic doctor here today, who has been treating her feet from birth, and he has casted little Addie again. We go back on January 2nd to have them taken off and are hopefully that she will not need anymore casting in order to wear the braces. The timing for the casting could not have been more perfect because she will not have to miss any therapy sessions while she is casted because Easter Seals, where she receives most of her therapy, is closed from Christmas Eve until January 2nd. God is so good. All of these things can be so overwhelming and realizing that a lot of what we are facing will be things that we are watching for years to come really hit me hard, but I know that God is faithful. I was listening to a sermon the other day and was reminded that hard times don't erase God's promises. We may not see all the answers now but His promises are as true today as they were yesterday and as they will be tomorrow. Thinking of Christmas we celebrate the first coming of Jesus that people waited years and years for, and even though it didn't happen when they thought it would it happened and it happened exactly like He said it would. The same is true of His second coming and of all the promises He has made to His children in the Bible. I may be tempted to lose my peace and focus on all the struggles and things that Addie has ahead of her and that we as a family will face but I know that my God has not forsaken me "For he has not despised or disdained the suffering of the afflicted one, he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help." Psalms 22:24. I opened my Bible up to that Psalms today and I had a note written there saying 'God will use all my sorrow for His good if I let him guide me through it to where He wants me to be.' He has proven that true to me in the past and I know that He will do it again so while we face the many trials in the days and years ahead with Addie. We will praise because of who He is, because of what He has done, and because of what He has promised to do! "We are confident of this that He who began a good work in us will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus!" Philippians 1:6 He already came once and He is coming again and I want to be found praising Him because He is worthy of our praise!

Praise Alert!!

God has answered again! We are beginning to see external rotation in Addie's left arm! This was the hoped for outcome from her surgery in October! They were not expecting to see the results already! Here is a video of her doing it and then clapping for herself! She loves pool therapy and I am so grateful we are able to do it so often as it seems to really be helping her arm function. Once again God has been faithful. We are continuing to count on that faithfulness as we head to her St. Louis appointment tomorrow to talk about her hip. Thank you all for your continued prayers for her healing and strength as we go through this one step at a time. He has been carrying us all along and we have not been consumed by these trials the past year! Lamentations 3:22-24 "Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.”

Addie is 1!!!

Today is Addie's 1st birthday. I can not even believe that time has gone so quickly! We have had a year I could not have imagined. God has been so faithful and steady. When I think of all Addie has faced this year I am reminded of all the way we have seen God's hand. Before she was born we were warned about her heart but God touched that. We were also warned that there was most likely a genetic defect, an underlying cause of all her physical issues. When she was born there was no genetic defect! Upon birth her left arm could not move now she is able to lift it over her head when lying down and is beginning to get external rotation! Her middle fingers on her right hand tended to stay pointed into her fist upon birth, now they move freely. Her feet were severely clubbed but now with casting, surgery, and her braces they are looking much better! There was concern she was aspirating but after a swallow test we were able to cross that off the list. God has worked in so many ways in her life and it has been so exciting to watch, but He has also worked in our lives. I am amazed as I go back over all we have dealt with this year and am able to realize how much God has carried us through and been so true to His word. His faithfulness through this past year helps me to hold onto Him in the coming year. I receive a daily devotional and the title of today's was "He still heals." Addie still has many issues to deal with including her dislocated hip, which we follow up with next week in St. Louis, but God still heals. He has made promises and He will be faithful to those because He is faithful! I shared these two verses with Mike shortly after the ultrasound showing us some of the difficulties Addie would be facing. Psalms 89:1-2 " I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations. I will declare that your love stands firm forever, that you have established your faithfulness in heaven itself." God's faithfulness comes from who He is, it does not change!

God is so Good!! 11 Months

 We have had a fun month with Addie! She is continuing to make more sounds and using them to express her desires. Although at this point there is a lot of Da-da and no Ma-ma sounds (I am working on that!) We also celebrated her 1st birthday a little early but it was a great day! She loved playing in her cake although she did not really eat it. She made such a big mess she needed a shower afterward which just meant she got to try one of her new outfits on right away! She is starting to fill out in the past few weeks and loves to try new foods. She loves things that have a lot of flavor. One of the latest things we tried was juice from my grapefruit thinking she would make a silly face but she loved it and wanted more! We are continuing to work on her arm and for the next 3 months we have increased her to 2 sessions of Occupational therapy and 1 session of physical therapy a week. They like to increase the OT for 3 months following surgery. We had OT today and I realized again how much God is working even in the little things. Angie her therapist was teaching me how to tape Addie's wrist and also we were working on using E-stem. The taping helps pull her wrist into the correct position which increases her ability to grasp. We have tried the taping a few times and have been very pleased with the results. Now that I know how to apply it we will be able to keep Addie's wrist taped consistently. The E-stem is for the muscle up by her shoulder where she had surgery. The E-stem is a machine that hooks up to 2 electrodes and sends electric currents to her muscle to help it contract. When we started today Angie warned me that Addie may only be able to have the current level to where she could feel it but not enough to actually make her muscle contract. She also warned that while our goal is 30 minutes a day Addie would probably only make it 5 or 10 minutes for the first few days. Well, once again I saw how God answered my prayer for her to have the personality to be able to handle the trials she would be faced with! Addie was able to handle the E-stem for 15 minutes and we were able to set the current high enough to make her muscle contract without it bothering her! Angie was amazed at how well she handled it. It is always neat to see God answer your direct prayers the way you desire, but today I also experienced Him working in a way that I never thought to pray. When we started talking about taping Addie's wrist and then E-stem I was excited about trying anything that may help or just speed up her healing. I had no idea that I would be required to do it! I didn't even think to pray that I would catch on quickly or be able to understand what my role was, but today as Angie was walking me through it all everything went smoothly. All of the understanding seemed to come very easily to me and I know that as I prayed for Addie to have the right personality and spirit to go through what she needed God is also doing that for me. Angie was able to leave the E-stem machine with me today. She had anticipated it taking a few more weeks of practice. Addie handled it so well and God gave me such an easy understanding of it we are able to start doing daily E-stem now instead of waiting! I love it when the Bible becomes alive in my life!  Matthew 6:8b "for your Father knows what you need before you ask him."  I never even thought to pray that I would understand my part but God knew! He opened up my mind to be able to understand and comprehend what I needed to at the time that I needed to! I never want to be so busy looking for the big ways of God's presence in my life that I miss the day-to-day ways He is already there and working! He has been so good to us and I just can't help but thank Him. His love is so precious and so caring! Psalms 63:3 "Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you." We have been blessed by seeing God's hand at work in miraculous ways, in medical/science ways (doctors), and most precious to me in His sustaining ways in our lives. He has carried us through all of this with such a precious peace. My older brother shared this verse with us right after we found out some of the issues Addie was going to have Matthew 11:28-30 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”  Jesus has been this to us the past 11 months in a way I had never experienced before. With Addie we have faced issues I had never heard of or thought about before her, but with Him carrying us we have been able to go through them. We get tired, we get busy, we get worn out but it has been easy! We have had joy because it has been Him. Our souls have had peace, a steady peace, throughout each up and each down with her. That peace, which passes understanding, can only come from God. I can hardly explain how amazing it has been to live these Bible promises! I know what we should have been feeling and then I know what we actually felt and it does not match up. I know it is not me it is all Him! We are awaiting the miraculous while living in the normal and that makes us see so much more of what God is doing because we are looking for Him! God's goodness and glory is all around the more I look for it the more I see! He is the King of Glory and Creator of all! 

                                                                      Psalms 24

¹ The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it,
    the world, and all who live in it;
² for he founded it on the seas
    and established it on the waters.

³ Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord?
    Who may stand in his holy place?
⁴ The one who has clean hands and a pure heart,
    who does not trust in an idol
    or swear by a false god.

⁵ They will receive blessing from the Lord
    and vindication from God their Savior.
⁶ Such is the generation of those who seek him,
    who seek your face, God of Jacob.

⁷ Lift up your heads, you gates;
    be lifted up, you ancient doors,
    that the King of glory may come in.
⁸ Who is this King of glory?
    The Lord strong and mighty,
    the Lord mighty in battle.
⁹ Lift up your heads, you gates;
    lift them up, you ancient doors,
    that the King of glory may come in.
¹⁰ Who is he, this King of glory?
    The Lord Almighty—
    he is the King of glory.

What a Month!

Addie is 10 months old now well 10 and 1/2 months. She has had a huge month! She had her surgery and 2 week follow-up appointment and everything is going great! She was cleared for all activities again starting last Friday. Today was her first therapy session after surgery. The therapist was very pleased with how her arm was doing and the scar today. We discussed the second EMG that we had done right before her surgery. The therapist said when she received a copy she thought it was a miracle in how much recovery and healing had happened in her arm. Even though there was surgery there was healing! God is good. Addie has also started to get much noisier. She blows bubbles with her mouth and has started to make syllable sounds like "baba." That was huge for her! She also has now learned to drink out of a sippy cup with a straw which was something her feeding therapist wanted us to try. Another big deal has been her eating. She was not really wanting to eat much baby food and so her feeding therapist recommended trying so other foods. It turns out Addie just wants foods with flavor! She is her daddy's girl! She can't eat the plain stuff. She enjoys chili,
baked potato soup, taco soup, and other flavorful things! She only has her two bottom teeth so she can only eat soft things or I will puree some of the soups so that it is easier for her to swallow and that seems to work. We are just so excited about each step that she has made and so thankful for what God has done already! It is such a blessing to be able to see His hand at work so consistently and to get small reminders of what He has done and promised to do. God has been so gracious to us in the way He is working. Lately He has been reminding He is not done yet with her Psalms 27:13 "I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord." Three verses I read yesterday said wait and wait with joy.  "Be earnest and unwearied and steadfast in your prayer [life], being both alert and intent in your praying with thanksgiving" Colossians 4:2. 

Surgery Day

We had Addie’s follow-up appointment with Dr. Little in Cincinnati for her arm on Tuesday. We started the day with a second EMG to see how her muscles were responding and how much they had healed. Almost all of her muscles had improved to at least 50-75% function if not all!! The doctors were surprised at how well she was doing. There was one muscle though that they were not sure if it was fully functioning or if the muscle above it just overcompensated because it does the same function. There was also one muscle that had no function. They decided on Tuesday that surgery would be our best option for dealing with that muscle. So today Addie had a single nerve transfer. They were able to take a nerve from nearby the affected nerve so she only had one incision on the back of her shoulder. The surgery went as well as they were expecting and Addie is now out of recovery and in her room. We are spending a night for observation due to the fact that we live so far away. In the midst of this God has once again given us peace and promises. One of the ones He gave me yesterday was 1 Peter 4:13 “But rejoice in as much as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.“ And 1 Peter 4 :19 “ So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.” We may not understand why we go through hard times even when we pray for healing , but we still know that God heard us. We have been praying for healing and at the same time praying for more of His glory and sometimes the sufferings are the way that His glory comes. Our job is not to question the why of it, but to continue to trust our God who is faithful. We will continue to praise in the big and praise in the little. We are continuing to see God’s hand at work. Everyone that interacts with Addie can’t get over her sweet and content spirit. The issues and things she are dealing with should make her fussy but they don’t she still has a smile for everyone she sees. I prayed for her to have the temperament to handle her life and every time someone praises her sweet spirit I know God has answered. He really does hear us! And HE is working. Romans 8:28 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[i] have been called according to his purpose.” He has a purpose in all of this and so we will just keep trusting and just keep praising!

9 Months!

Thought I better get this done while it was still September :) 9 months along! Addie is about 15lbs which is tiny!! She is much more active and desiring to interact with others. She has always been a little busy body but now even more so! She is able to sit up, which she enjoys immensely! She is her left arm more and more which is exciting. It is common place now for her to lift it up straight out and by her head when laying on her side or back! Addie is also becoming stronger with her fingers in the left hand. We know this is all from God. I was discussing Addie's improvement with her occupational therapist and she said that you could see the prayer was working! She said Addie was already further along then Angie anticipated without surgery! We are amazed at some of the results we have seen already. We are preparing now for her follow-up appointment in Cincinnati next week. We are going on Oct. 7th for and EMG and meeting with the doctor. That meeting will decide whether surgery is necessary at this point or not. If it is we will have surgery Oct 9th. Mike and I know the importance of prayer. We are learning that even when you don't see the answers the way you anticipate or as quickly as you anticipating it does not mean God is not working. It also doesn't give you a reason to quit praying! Matthew 7:7 "Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you." (NLT). With this verse in mind we have asked to have Addie anointed again this Sunday. We have seen God answer prayers immediately after anointing her like with her heart and slowly like last time we did it for her arm. But we have seen God answer! We know that James 5:15-16 tells us "And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." The prayer in faith by a righteous person (a person right with God & right with others) will be answered. God has been opening my eyes more and more to the need to immediately make things right with Him and others when I realize I have offended or handle a situation wrong. I want to live a life where my prayers are answered, even if I feel silly apologizing for something or it seems small to me. I would rather be over cautious than allow something to fester between me and others that then comes between God and I.  My heart's desire is to live a life pleasing to God and that means I have to swallow my pride and my desires to work toward my biggest goal of pleasing God. I have had to confess speaking out of turn to some and speaking harshly to others. I have had to confess to God not sticking to the fast He had called me to. I want to live my life as an open book that points toward Him! That leaves no room for silly selfishness but it  is impossible to live like that without God. It is a learning process and I am far from perfect, but I want to continue trying because I know by confessing my sins He cleanses me and I am perfect in His sight! I am learning though I must keep short accounts to do that! 1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." What a mighty God we serve that is so able and willing to confess our sins if only we can swallow our pride in order to confess them! So I ask you now to continue praying with me for my sweet Addie, but pray from a righteous heart, one that is right with God and right with others. And pray anticipating to see the miraculous! Our God is a miracle working God! As for me if I have done something to offend or upset you please let me know so that I can make it right, I truly want to live out a life of love and want to have nothing between me and those in my life! Let me end with this song with sang on Sunday "I Will Look Up" by Elevation Worship. One of the verses really hit me "
'I will look back and see that You are faithful
I look ahead believing You are able
Jesus Lord of all, Jesus Lord of all' 
As we head into Addie's appointment and potential surgery we look back at the answers we have seen: her heart, movement in both arms & hands, and no genetic disorder! Then we look ahead into next week with her arm knowing how able and capable our God is and so we don't fear we praise, pray, and anticipate!!

What a Week!!!!

We have had an awesome week here! We started on Tuesday with a new occupational therapist. She has more experience with brachial plexus injuries and we thought that while our last therapist was good that Angie would end up being a better fit for Addie. On Tuesday also we were able to schedule Addie's follow up appointment for her arm. She will have an EMG and meet with the doctor on October 7th if surgery is necessary they scheduled it for October 9th. But on Wednesday Addie started lifting up her left arm!!! She has had good elbow movement but not much on her shoulder. Now she is able to bring it all the way up to the top of her head! It really was a miracle. She has been doing it continually ever since! Now that she is able to move it on her own we see that the nerves are working and she may just need to continue therapy instead of surgery!! The week continued on a positive note after meeting with her feeding therapist, Megan, the first time on Thursday. Megan thought we were right on track with Addie and is hopefully that as she continues to eat more solid foods her jaw will stretch and open more on her own. Then, today we finished the week with an appointment with Dr. Akeson, her orthopedic doctor here. It went even better than I could have imagined. He was pleased with her feet and we are just continuing to wear her braces at nap and bed time. I also was needing to talk to him about treating her hip in St. Louis instead of with him. He was very encouraging about the doctor there and agreed that would be the best place to have her treated. He also said he was more than willing to work with the doctor there and do some of the follow-up or casting after her hip surgery here if St. Louis is okay with the idea. It could not have gone any better! We have been blessed by wonderful doctors here who are willing to say that others can handle some of her issues better than them and then working with them to get Addie the best treatment! It has been such an exciting week. It is always so encouraging to my faith to see my prayers answered. We have had Addie anointed multiple times for complete healing and then specifically for her arm before our last appointment and we had not seen big improvements and then the day after we schedule her follow up appointment and potential surgery she begins to move it! God is giving her an awesome testimony of His healing power and His faithfulness. Even though things may not happen on our timeline He hears and He answers in a way that brings about His glory and His good! So we praise through it all!
            Psalms 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.

We will be telling her story for years to come sharing with others because we are His and He has been faithful to us!

8 Months

8 months today! I told you this one was going to be interesting! We have been busy around here. Big news of the day is Addie got her first tooth! Also, she passed her swallow test now we will be able to start more foods without worry! So far we have tried bananas. She loved them! Carrots were not such a hit.I have also noticed as she eats that she is opening her mouth a little wider. She has started making more noises and just being a little noisier all the time. She has really made some progress in this past month! Her arm also has seen some improvements. They are not extreme but she is actively trying to use it more. She will bring the left arm up to interact with her toys on her chest and she is trying to use the shoulder. We met with a doctor in Chicago to get her opinion on Addie's arm and if surgery was necessary. She did not have the same goals that we did of getting as much function as possible, but seemed content with the motion she already has. We will not be returning there. I met with her Neurosurgeon at home on last Friday and he agreed that nerve surgery on her shoulder, if it does not come back on its own, will improve her function. He also agreed that there are more options for surgery on her fingers and wrist. He was comfortable with the recommendations we had received from Cincinnati so we will be going forward with the team there to treat her arm. It is a good feeling to know that we have a couple doctors in agreement about her treatment plan, but it is even better to know that we have the Great Physician working also! We have seen His powerful hand over and over again in her life and in the life of those around us. Our nephew just spent a week in the hospital battling a serious infection but just as with Addie we saw God's hand throughout that situation. He was there through it all healing and orchestrating different events through that time and hospital for His glory to shine through to others. Our family as a whole has been learning the truth of 2 Corinthians 12:9a "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power I made perfect in weakness." Through Addie and through the issues my nephews have faced lately we have been able to see God's power in a whole new way that without this situations that have brought about our weakness we would not have. 2 Corinthians 12:9b "Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me." We want Christ's power in our life so that He can get glory through our lives. Knowing that God is getting glory and lives our being changed brings hope and peace in the midst of the storm. God has not yet completely healed Addie, but He has brought healing in Addie. I know that at any point He could completely heal her of all issues hip, arm, feet, and jaw. But I also know that through these struggles He is able to shine because He is carrying us through each step day by day as we turn to Him. We want to live our lives in such a way that God's name is glorified and praised because of it for He is worthy for all glory, all honor, and all praise!

Cincinnati Trip!

We got home late last night after a long but busy few days! We spent yesterday in Cincinnati enjoying the city some and then meeting with the brachial plexus team at Cincinnati Children's Hospital. After reviewing Addie's EMG from last week and watching her arm movement they were able to make some decisions. Dr. Little heads up the team there and he said that he thinks she has arthrogryposis and a brachial plexus injury. Arthrogryposis has to do with having stiff joints so just by having clubbed feet you could say she has arthrogryposis. In her case though it also affects her arms, shoulders, and probably her jaw hence our trouble with her feeding patterns. He said it is unique to have a brachial plexus injury and arthrogryposis, but they have just seen another child with it. Given all of this and because of the EMG they ruled out the need for exploratory surgery, which is what would have needed to be done immediately. Dr. Little explained that the EMG shows that there is recovery and healing still being done on its own on the tear in the nerve. He wants to give it 3 months and see what has come back on its own. So in 3 months we will head back to Cincinnati and do an EMG again that morning and then meet with Dr. Little and the team that afternoon. If surgery is necessary it will be that same week. He is hopefully that she will have at least 90% of her function back in that arm, but anticipates it to always be weaker than the right arm. He also agreed with us getting a splint for her wrist to wear at night and see how that may help improvements. So we left feeling pretty positive about the whole experience and knowing that as of now we have 3 more months to pray for complete healing without surgery but even if we do have surgery God will still heal! Yesterday, the brachial plexus team from Chicago that Addie was suppose to see Sept. 3rd called and was able to get Addie in next Tuesday Aug. 12th. We are going to go ahead and do that to get a second opinion based off the EMG results. This Friday is her swallow test to see if she is aspirating when she eats. It has just been a crazy couple of weeks, but we are getting some answers and able to make some plans about what is next and that is good. Though there is peace in the answers and having direction I never want to get my peace from knowledge but from God. I know that even in the midst God is here and that is my hope and my strength. Psalms 25:5 "Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long." God is our guide and our hope in the middle of the known and the unknown because He is capable of changing it all!

Whirlwind!!!

What a whirlwind we have been on! We had the EMG Monday and discovered that Addie does have a brachial plexus injury. Also, today we finally got a copy of the report and it appears that in that injury there is a tear in one of the primary branch of nerves. She has recovered 38% use of her arm back and her elbow has a lot of motion but her shoulder and wrist do not. Mike has been doing some research and we are anticipating surgery very shortly. I came home from Chicago Tuesday night, after visiting my newest little nephew :) to a day full of appointments Wednesday. We started Wednesday with an occupational therapist evaluation to work on getting Addie a splint for her wrist. The OT recommended we follow-up the EMG with a brachial plexus team not just the neurosurgeon who had referred for the test. She suggested Cincinnati's team because she has worked with them and seen very promising results. I had an appointment scheduled with Chicago's team for Sept 3 but Cincinnati was able to get us in this upcoming Tuesday so I took it. Our next appointment that day was with a feeding therapist because since we have started feeding her cereal we noticed she does not open her jaw all the way. The feeding therapist decided we needed to be seen once a month to work on some exercises with her jaw. She also mentioned that she is afraid Addie is aspirating her food as she eats, especially her cereal. We are going to go in for a swallow test next Friday August 8th to rule that in or out; and now for the time being we have to feed her at a certain angle with her face sideways in order to minimize the opportunity. Needless to say Wednesday was a long day!! Thursday did not get much easier. Thursday morning my littlest nephew was in the NICU, my grandpa found blood in his urine and went to the ER, and our dog had an unknown tumor in her spleen that burst like an aneurism causing internal bleeding which ended up killing her on the way to the vet. So yesterday Mike took the day off and we loaded up to come home for the weekend and then to head to Cincinnati Monday for her appointment Tuesday. Yet, in the midst of this all we continue to praise! We know that God is good and we know that God is faithful. It has been a long process and it appears it will be getting longer soon, but none of this changes God. We are truly finding that when we give it to God and it is not our burden to carry but His that His yoke truly is easy and the burden is light. Once again we are living out God's promises  Matthew 11:28-30  “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." We are tired it has been a long week but we are at rest and we do have peace. God has been faithful to us as we have been faithful to Him! Psalms 18:25 "To the faithful you show yourself faithful, to the blameless you show yourself blameless," We are able to walk in peace because we know that He is true and He will do what He has promised. We may not be able to see it all now and we may never but we know His word is true and we know what His word says, that is where our hope and comfort comes, not from the visible but from the invisible. "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who^[i] have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28. He will work good out of this yet and He will get glory that I know and that is enough for me. If He is glorified then I am satisfied.

7 Month Update (a little late!)

Addie is 7 and 1/2 month! She is weighing in now at 13 pounds and 12 ounces! She has started cereal and is really enjoying it and it seems to be helping her gain weight which is awesome! We need her to get closer to 20 pounds so that she can have her hip surgery done this winter. She is having occupational therapy and physical therapy each weekly now. We will also be starting some speech therapy soon because since we have started spoon feeding her we realized she is not able to open her jaw all the way. She has already made some improvement with her jaw as she stretches it to eat daily so hopefully therapy will be able to help fix it quickly. Addie is working on use of her arm and sitting up in her other therapies. She has seen some slight improvement on her left arm and is gaining strength in her core. I think she will be sitting up soon! We go on Monday to Chicago for her EMG to determine where the damage is so neurosurgeon will know where to concentrate during surgery. Please be praying about that also this week Addie and Michael got ear infections. They started antibiotics yesterday but if she has a fever or a cough still on Sunday we will have to cancel the EMG and reschedule. We are anticipating God's evident work and answer in her life. Her left arm is in His hands. Psalms 5:3 says "In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation." This verse promises that He hears and also that I should be waiting anticipating His answer! This past couple weeks between realizing about her jaw, lack of serious improvement, and knowing these test was coming up I have been tested. Do I really believe what the Bible says? Do I really believe God is who He says He is? I do. If it isn't all true then it would not be worth living my life from. It is all true and that is why I can pray and wait in expectation. I can keep praying and keep asking because He wants to hear from me and He wants to answer just as He promised. Hebrews 10:36 "You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised." We are in the midst of the persevering but He is faithful and we will receive that which He has promised! James 5:15a" And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well." We went to a prayer conference Sunday night and Monday and had Addie prayed over twice again. Now we are in the part where we must believe that He has heard and His answer is coming! We must wait in expectation that in God's great faithfulness He will do as He said because Luke 1:37 "For nothing is impossible with God." Or as it is in the New Living Translation "For the Word of God will never fail" He has already answered so much with healing her heart and arms, to the peace and grace He has given us to deal with everything so far we can expect nothing less in the days ahead! Even today Mike had a God ordained moment to remind him of the faithfulness of God. He was in a meeting and they began talking about Addie and the lady shared how God had miraculously healed her heart to the amazement of the cardiologist. She was in the operating room being prepped for surgery, after being prayed for a couple nights before, and as they were looking at her the doctor thought they had the wrong patient because her heart had no scar tissue or burn marks from her previous heart surgeries! She assured him it was her and he said he could not understand it because it looked like a brand new heart! Our God is good! So this is 7 months into Addie's life and He has been working! Can't wait to tell you what He has done by 8 months!

Neurosurgeon Update

I am so thankful for my little Addie and for all the wonderful doctors we have been able to work with. We saw the neurosurgeon, Dr. Lin, Monday. He was looking over Addie's left arm and trying to figure out what is causing her lack of motion. After his examination he has determined that from what he can see it is a brachal plexus injury, meaning there is some nerve damage up around her shoulder. He referred us to Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago in order to do an EMG. The EMG is a test that will try and determine where and how much damage there is to her nerves. We are scheduled for that July 21st. They will have to put her under to do it and it should take about 45 minutes to 1 hour.  After that we will see Dr. Lin again on August 15th to follow up looking at the test results and any progress she has made. We will then decide if surgery is necessary, which is looking very likely. She would either have a surgery where he goes in a cleans up the scar tissue build up around the nerve or  a nerve graft where he would take a nerve from her knee and put it in her shoulder. We are also in the process of adding more therapy sessions we will be seeing occupational and physical weekly instead of every other week. Hopefully, with the increase in therapy we will see more improvement and as always the older she gets the more she is capable of doing in therapy. All of this information in the last couple of days has been a lot to handle! It can really stress me out when I think about all the Addie is going to have to go through. Surgery is never easy and even just having to be put under for the testing runs its risks. It is a scary time. I am tempted to start to question God, but then in the midst something happens that reminds me of just how far He has brought her. Do I hate that she has 2 or 3 more surgeries in the next few months of course I do. But I am reminded that almost a year ago we didn't even know if she would be able to use her hands. We didn't even know if she would live or need excessive heart surgery. As scary and time consuming as this stuff is it is all orthopedic! I may never know why God did not heal her all miraculously and that is okay. I don't act that way, but deep down I know it is okay. God has been carrying me through this. He and I have had some hard conversations because I just don't understand and they all end with "Okay God I don't get it, sometimes I don't even like it, but I trust you. I know you are here and have been here and there is a bigger picture that I am not seeing." Those are not easy words to keep saying as they pile surgery on top of surgery. It isn't easy to be joyful and happy in the midst of the scary, but I know who God is and in that I can rejoice. Philippians 4:4 "Rejoice IN THE LORD always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" I have been teaching the boys this memory verse and it came up in my Bible study today it and just hit me. It doesn't just say rejoice always but rejoice in the Lord. God doesn't ask us to rejoice because of our circumstances but to rejoice in Him regardless of our circumstances. There is a huge difference there. I can rejoice in Him because of who He is and then that gives me the freedom to praise Him in my circumstances because He has a master plan. He is working it all out for good because He is love. 1 Corinthians 13"4-8a ^" Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." These are the characteristics of God. And He lavishes this love onto each of His children. It is an agape kind of love that only He can have and He has it for me and He has it for Addie. That is something I can rejoice in. I don't have to have all the answers because I know the one that does! He is not going to fail us!

Update from St. Louis

We spent the weekend visiting with family and taking Addie to another orthopedic specialist for her hip and feet on Friday. It was a long day but a good trip. The orthopedic specialist took some pictures and x-rays and then came in to physically exam Addie. He confirmed a lot of what Dr. Akeson, the orthopedic doctor she sees at home, had said. He agrees she will need a serious invasive surgery when she is closer to 20 pounds and able to handle being under for the 3 hours it will take for the surgery. This surgery will be to move her right hip into the joint. He also mentioned that her left hip joint is a little shallow so we will just have to watch that as we watch the right hip as she grows. He thought her feet were looking good, but did mention we have may to do the lengthening surgery on her right foot again. He told me a few new ways to stretch her feet to encourage mobility and length on them so we will try that and hopefully be able to avoid any extra surgeries. Overall it was a good appointment. It is always nice when both opinions are in agreement. Our big decision now is to pray about which doctor we should use for the surgery. The doctor is St. Louis has been able to specialize in pediatrics orthopedics where Dr. Akeson has specialized in orthopedics and does a lot of pediatrics but not as much as the other. Obviously there are positives about having it done here, but there is also a lot to be said about having someone who has worked more specifically with young babies. Either way we are still looking at surgery between 12-15 months most likely as Addie is now 13 pounds. But we are not fearing or stressing this fact we know that God is in control. As we left the appointment Friday there was a large rainbow just reminding us of God's promises in the past and the promises for the future. Psalms 52:8 "For what you have done I will always praise you in the presence of your faithful people. And I will hope in your name, for your name is good." Our hope is in Him as we wait for this surgery and as we head into her appointment with the neurosurgeon tomorrow to discuss her left arm. God has been with us every step so far so we praise and we know that He will continue to be so we hope in Him! We may not know exactly what is next or how it will all go but we know who is holding tomorrow. "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11.  We may not see it all now but we know that what He says is true and He has plans for us and for Addie. He will work all things out for His 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.  He has been faithful thus far and we are continue to hope in Him and the truth of His word because we know the Bible is all true and it is always true!

6 months!

Addie hit 6 months this past Thursday. She is doing well in a lot of ways, but the older she gets the more you can her difficulties presenting themselves. Her left arm has really come a long way, but it still has a long way to go. Therapy is helping and we are continuing to follow up with doctors. Actually, we see the neurosurgeon here on Monday the 23rd to see if surgery looks like a good option. We are also going back to St. Louis this week in order to see the orthopedic doctor at Shriners on Friday. He is going to be looking at the hip, and also we will get his opinion on her feet. She is enjoying being free from the braces when she is awake and being able to wiggle her feet around. We are hoping to go on vacation in the near future and let her experience playing in the pool and the ocean.  One of her favorite things to do now is grab her toes with her right arm and play with them. I am sure most babies do this, but after having so much done to her feet it is exciting to see her be able to do that. She is still not sitting up, but that is one of the main goals we are working on in physical therapy. She is very attentive and that helps as we work with her. She handles the stretches we do at home and the weekly therapy well for the most part. She is just an amazing, happy, and content baby and for that we are so thankful! It is fun to watch her interacting with people now, especially her brothers! She is starting to laugh more often and the boys are the ones who get her to do it. They get so excited if they make her smile or stop crying. They are always trying to help or hold her and she loves their attention. Life stays a little busy but it is good. God has been faithful and as we go forward into each step He is walking with us. Thank you all for praying and as you think of us continue to pray as we travel this week and met with the doctor in St. Louis and the neurosurgeon here. We are hoping for some clarity and answers before we have to make any decisions regarding surgery for her arm and also for her hip. We are praising for the progress we have seen and praying for the rest!

Psalm 103:20-22 "Praise the Lord, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will. Praise the Lord, all his works  everywhere in his dominion. Praise the Lord, my soul."

Neurology visit

Today we saw Dr. Twanow, a neurologist here in town. She was looking at Addie's arm for the possibility of erbs palsy, Addie's right knee about why she doesn't use it, and the possibility of Addie having arthrogryposis. Let's start with the easiest part first. Dr. Twanow today does not think Addie has arthrogryposis, a condition where the nerves didn't finish connecting correctly and so stiff joints and lack of movement occur. Addie is able to move her right arm and her left leg like a typical 6 month old baby so she would caution to guess the issues Addie has are more from her lack of space and movement in the womb. She also thinks that Addie's issues with her right knee come partly from the difficulty to move it because the hip is out of place and partly from weakness from her lack of movement in the womb and through the casting process for her feet. The arm was a little more tricky and we do not have definitive answers. Dr. Twanow said that it could be just weakness from her not being able to move it in the womb, but because of the order in which her movement has been coming back and the way she holds her arm the neurologist did not want to rule out erbs palsy. The big question we need to answer is if it is erbs palsy or not because that will change the treatment. If it is not erbs palsy then we would just continue with the therapy and stretches. If it is erbs palsy we may need to have surgery done to remove the scar tissue around the shoulder and possibly a nerve graft. The good news is that either condition she should get full use of her arm back, but we have to treat the right condition. Dr. Twanow has referred us to a neurosurgeon here in town to get his opinion on if Addie has erbs palsy or not. The difficult thing is there is not any easy test to tell us definitively if it is or isn't. I started to get anxious today as Dr. Twanow was telling me about the possibility of surgery but two things happened that gave me peace. First, as I walked out I was hit by the fact that I was at a neurology specialist and that they deal with brain issues I could have been there dealing with something much much worse that could never be fixed. Second, I headed onto the elevator and looked down at Addie and saw her pretty, little, bare feet and was reminded of how much God has already done. If you could see her feet today from her feet at birth you wouldn't even believe they were the same ones! It is a truly a miracle and an answer to prayer to see how far they have come! I was flooded with such a sense of peace and contentment that I have no desire to complain and no feelings of stress. We will continue to go down every avenue that is necessary to get the help that Addie needs, but we won't go it alone! God is carrying us and it is because we have so many family and friends that are carrying us to God. I have been reading the Psalms and these verse stuck out to me yesterday and even more so today Psalms 33:20-22"We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield.  In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love be with us, Lord,  even as we put our hope in you." Our hope is in God the one through whom all things live and breathe! He is the Alpha and Omega, beginning and end! If He is for us who can be against us? We are not living disheartened but we are living full of joy and peace. We have been blessed with Addie in our lives. So now we wait to hear when our appointment with the neurosurgeon is and we will go on from there. Our biggest prayer request right now would be that Addie sees the doctors that she needs to see. God knows the ones that will best be able to treat her conditions. Then, as we see these doctors that they would be granted wisdom and discernment to diagnose and treat Addie appropriately. We know that there is power when we pray together and we have seen that healing and helping power so much already. Let us not forget how much He has already done, as we stand in the midst of what we are waiting for Him to do! 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." We are rejoicing, we are praying, and we are living in His peace! Thank you for joining with us in this! We are truly blessed by each and everyone of you as you lift up our baby girl in your prayers!

Feet!!

Friday was Addie's follow-up appointment about her feet. He checked out her feet and was pleased with how they are coming along. Addie now only has to wear her braces at night!!! This will continue most likely until she is 2. She has been enjoying her little bare feet the last couple of days. While there I also talked to Dr. Akeson about his plans for her hip. At this point we are still waiting for the hip bone to calcify which typically happens between 12-15 months. He will then do an invasive surgery to put it into place. After the surgery Addie will be casted from her belly button to her ankles for 6 or 10 weeks and afterwards may have a brace for a month. We are going to Shriners in St. Louis on June 20th to see the orthopedic doctor that we were referred to after her last appointment in St. Louis for her arm. We see the neurologist here on Tuesday for her arm. This may lead to some additional testing to determine if there is any nerve damage or not in her left arm. I will also be talking to him about her lack of movement on her right knee. We have started physical and occupational therapy every other week, so each Wednesday we do one or the other. We are continuing to pray for her complete healing, and rejoicing each step of the way! God is working on her. We have seen more movement with her arm! We have seen extreme healing and changes on her feet! We have seen more motion on her right knee where there had been none! God is working it is easy to overlook the small answers, but when you sit down and review it is evident how God has been answering us! Philippians 4:4 " Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!"

5 Months Old!

Addie is 5 months old, 12 pounds 2 ounces, 23.5 inches long! She is just growing although still very small! She is such a wonderful baby especially given all the different issues she is dealing with. I am loving having my girl. She is keeping us busy though. At this point she rolls from her back to her belly on both sides. She loves to play on her activity mat and sit in a chair I bought her that has toys all around. She has discovered her feet and loves to look at them or grab at the straps of her boots with her right hand. She also brings both her hands together on her chest often which is a new trick! The left arm she is now able to lift up onto her chest and bend it at the elbow. We had her first occupational therapy session last week and that went really well. The occupational therapist worked with her arm, went over the stretches I should be doing daily, and gave me some new ideas to try. She will be coming again next week. She comes right into the house and we are able to do it all here! We are in the process of getting the physical therapy approved by insurance and then we should start having that the opposite weeks of the occupational therapy. I am not sure if we will be able to have it in the home when we first start, but hopefully within a couple months it will be. We have quite a few doctor appointments coming up starting on May 30th with her orthopedic doctor here to check on her feet. Hopefully at this appointment we will begin weaning her to only wearing the braces at night. Then June 8th she has an appointment with a neurologist here (for her arm). Her pediatrician referred her to him before we went to St. Louis, but we decided to go ahead and keep the appointment and get his opinion also.  June 20th is her follow-up appointment (for her hip) with the chief of staff orthopedic doctor at Shriners Hospital in St. Louis. After she sees the doctor at Shriners they may schedule her to see a neurologist (for her arm) there also. We are hitting a crazy patch of doctor visits, but we are so thankful for the help we have been getting. Each visit has given more answers and more direction. I am so thankful for all of the wonderful doctors we have worked with so far. Some of these visits carry a lot of unknowns but God has lead us to great doctors who have taken the time to explain and work with us to help Addie. I never would have picked this road to go down, but God is here with me and if He is here I am okay. He is using us here. He is shaping us here. He is faithful! It has been 5 busy and crazy months, but it has been 5 wonderful months! We have seen answer after answer to our prayers! We have a sweet, happy, baby girl that our boys just love! Life is good because God is good! For things that God has done in Addie's life already and what He will yet do I will praise Him!
Psalms 145:3-4 Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.  One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts.

St. Louis Doctors Visit

I woke up with such a peace yesterday that could only come from God. I knew as I headed in with Addie that God was right there with us, a wonderful feeling! The day just started off good. Addie and I left my aunt's house at 10:30, I left the boys with my cousin. As I got to the hospital I called  the doctor's office to make sure we were parking in the area they would validate and they told me that they were able to get me a therapy appointment also for that day! When I had talked them on Tuesday they said I would not be able to see all 3 doctors and do therapy until May 28th! God had gone before us! We got to the appointment and we saw Dr. Wall (orthopedic) and Dr. Noetzel (Neurologist) both working with a special clinic specializing in erb's palsy, which Addie had been diagnosed with. Dr. Wall came into see us first. She looked over Addie and we talked about the lack of normal movement in her left arm, right and left fingers, right knee, and clubbed feet. Dr. Wall specializes in orthopedics on upper extremities. She mentioned that because Addie has so many joints that seem stiff a possible definition may be Arthrogryposis, which is more of a name for a symptom than a diagnosis itself. She recommended for us to go the the Shriner's in St. Louis because if it is Arthogryposis it could possibly make a difference on how they handle the hip dislocation. Dr. Wall specializes on upper extremities and works at Shriners were other orthopedic doctors specialize on lower extremities. She was going to call Shriner's to try and get us in and get back to me hopefully today. She gave no definitive prognosis on the arm, but mentioned she thought there could be a plexus injury and not just weakness. She was pleased with the progress Addie's arm had made and added another daily stretch to do. After Dr. Wall left us she went and conversed with Dr. Noetzel. Dr. Noetzel then came in and examined Addie. He took time to explain the idea of Arthogryposis and we discussed the difficulties Addie had during pregnancy; lack of space, lack of movement. After examining her and our conversation he stated that he did not think she was suffering from nerve or muscle injuries. He thinks her arm is just weak from not being able to move it during pregnancy because of breech positioning. He is expecting her to regain full use of her arm. When I asked about doing any testing he also recommended going to Shriner's and working with a neurologist there who would work with the orthopedic doctor there. He mentioned that there could be some genetic issues we may have not tested for that could add to what we are seeing on Addie.We didn't end up seeing the neurosurgeon because Dr. Noetzel did not think it was a nerve injury. We then went to therapy and met with a physical and occupational therapist who gave us some new exercises to do in addition to the range of motions ones we had been doing. I also discussed with the therapists about our plan of action with her therapists back home. They agreed that our plan of 2 times a month with occupational and 2 times a month with physical would be effective. I feel very good about the new exercises because even in the last week, I added 2 new exercises, I have seen a lot of new movement in her arm. God is not done yet and I am excited to see how He continues to touch our little Addie. I am now spending a couple days with my family near St. Louis, which is a nice bonus to the trip! We were able to go to church with them last night and the church family that has been praying for Addie for so long was able to meet her. It has been a great trip and I am so glad we were able to get in so quickly! Our God is faithful and He continues to show Himself as such! Psalms 86:15 "But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness."

Big Day!

Ok well it has been a crazy week! Last Monday we had the occupational therapist come out to do a re-evaluation and decide if we should start regular therapy at this point.  She stated with Addie's diagnosis of Erb's Palsy on her left arm there is the chance she may never gain full use of that arm, and even if she does it may always be weaker. I did not know this! I had been under the impression that Addie's lack of movement was from lack of strength since she had not been able to move it in the womb. After hearing that news from the occupational therapist I started to do some research about it . We found out that 3-6 months of age is a huge time frame for improvement with babies with Erb's Palsy. We also decided that it would be a good idea to see a specialist about it. I had an appointment for her 4 month check-up with her pediatrician Monday the 27th already set so when we got there I asked for a referral to a specialist. He said he could refer me to a neurologist, but he was not sure how quickly they would get me in even with a rush on the order. I started to pray  that if she needed to see a specialist she would be able to get in quickly because she is already 4 1/2 months. The next day, Tuesday, I had an appointment with a physical therapist from Easter Seals for her re-evaluation to decide if we should start ongoing therapy. The therapist mentioned a specialized center in St. Louis, Cincinnati, and Texas just for Erb's Palsy. She shared that the occupational therapists she works with send babies as young as 2 months there to get checked out and that it would probably be a good idea for Addie. Once I got home from that meeting I began looking up these centers. I called the one in St. Louis and was able to get an appointment for today!! What a blessing! So I loaded up the 3 kids and drove down to my aunt's who is about an hour away from St. Louis. My cousin is going to watch the boys today while I take Addie up to the center. Wednesday is their special day for Erb's Palsy and Addie will be seeing a neurologist, neurosurgeon, and an orthopedic doctor! My simple prayer to see a specialist has been answered threefold by three specialists who all work together! It reminds me of this promise in Scripture "Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear" Isaiah 65:24. God knew what we needed and He knew when we would need it even though I didn't. His hand has not left Addie! I am grateful we are able to get in so quickly and am praying to get some clarity on her diagnosis and wisdom on her treatment plan. At this point after meeting with the occupational, developmental, and physical therapists all again we are going to start having physical therapy 2 times a month and occupational therapy 2 times a month also. The goal out of these sessions will be to monitor Addie and to give me different exercises to do daily with Addie in order to help strengthen her arms and legs. Yesterday, I was overwhelmed by how quickly everything was going but today I am at peace, excited, and even joyful at how present God's hand has been. I know that I am not going alone today, but that God will walk with me each step of the way so I will praise Him!
                   Psalms 100

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.

4 months plus couple days old!

I cannot get over the truth in the song by One Sonic Society "Always". It talks about how God does not delay, He is our refuge and strength. When we were waiting for Addie to get here and when she first arrived it was not the answers that we expected. Still, then and now we can see how God has been answering. He has been a steady refuge for us in the midst of the unknown.  It is only by God that we have peace and strength through all we have been through with her. He keeps helping her and she is doing wonderfully. Addie is the easiest baby I have had! She sleeps through the night, she now has nursing down pat and is putting on weight! She can roll over from her back to her tummy. She is able to lift her left arm more and more! She also handles her braces great! They don't seem to bother her although she does tend to wiggle her left foot loose or out of her brace because she bends her left knee and not her right. The occupational therapist will be back out on Monday the 21st to reevaluate her arm and also her right knee. Than her 4 month appointment on the 28th with the pediatrician. Then she sees the orthopedic doctor again at the end of May to see how her feet are doing and if we are then able to move from wearing the braces all the time to just at night. It is a continual healing process but she is healing! God is answering while it may seem slow at times to us God knows what He is doing! He is always here and always helping! "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble." Psalm 46:1

Living Life

Well life here has been busy. Last week we had Addie's first checkup with her braces on. She is doing great! The doctor was pleased with her progression and the fact that she doesn't seem to mind the braces. Now we don't go back until May 30th! It is a nice break to not be going in every week like we were with the casts. She also had her 2 month check up (although she was 3 months). She weighed in at 10lb 9 oz. So I am guessing she is closer to 11 or so now. She is gaining weight well though so the doctor was pleased with that. The occupational therapist also got back to me and she is planning to come out to the house around the end of April to reevaluate her. Her arm is making progress still as we do the exercises daily. She is also doing much better on her tummy time so that should also start helping with her arm strength. A new issue we have found since her casts are off is that she does not bend her right knee. It bends but she does not bend it. I will be bringing this up with the occupational therapist comes back out. For now I am just bending it on my own when I do her foot and arm exercises already. Hopefully that will help. We have been blessed by how faithfully God is and has been carrying us through. He is just so faithful. We continue to see improvements and we continue to see God's hand. We went back to Indiana this past weekend which was the first time we had been there in over 6 months. As we were there we had a chance to share more about Addie and everyone got to meet her for the first time. We shared to update everyone, but we were blessed by remembering and realizing how God had been preparing to handle Addie even years before. As we looked back we saw ways that God had lead us that at the time didn't make sense or go along with our plans but now we see what a blessing it is. One example was moving to Illinois. We never desired to live in Illinois our goal was always to move south if we moved from Indiana, but we really felt like God had opened the door for Mike's job here. So we came and now we are only 20 minutes away from a new nice Children's hospital. It is connected to the hospital where Addie was delivered and where she was taken right away for the NICU and then again where she had her surgery. It will also be where she has her next surgery on her hip. God knew the doctors and nurses and proximity of this hospital would ending up being such a blessing that at the time we never knew we would need. God really does work all things for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28), even though we may not always know how each situation we face could end good.  We intentionally choose to trust God to fulfill His promises, which becomes easier as we reflect on His past works in our lives and continuous peace He has provided.  As long as we remain open, He consistently grows our faith. "The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made All your works praise you, Lord; your faithful people extol you." Psalms 145:9-10 We have and are seeing His goodness to us day in and day out despite the trials and tribulations and so we have and we will continue to praise Him name!

3 Months old!

Addie is 3 months old! She is doing really well. She has been in the braces for 2 weeks already, and is handling them very well. It is such a nice change to be able to have her in pants and to take baths. She really loves the baths! We have had quite a bit of improvement with getting the braces on and off! I have figured out a pretty easy way to do it now and can more often than not get it on correctly the first try. Her arm is still progressing although slowly. We do the stretches on her feet and arm 4 times a day. She can now move her arm up onto her stomach and bend at the elbow. We have been working on tummy time because for the first 2 months when she was casted we didn't do it. She has gotten to where she doesn't mind it too much. Tummy time is important for her neck and head strength, but it will also help as she start to put weight on her arms to build up strength there. She has not rolled over yet, but she sure is trying! I am sure it won't be too long now, but between the braces and the lack of strength and movement in her arm she is likely to be a bit slower than a typical baby in some areas. No big deal though she will catch up! Plus, as she gets the strength in her arms up she will catch up quickly I am sure. We have a 2 month check on Monday with her normal doctor (I had to push it back because she couldn't get the 2 moth shots with her casts on). Then on the 26th we go back to the orthopedic doctor to check on her feet. Also, I thought the occupational therapist had said that at 3 months she would check her again and try and start some therapy, but now they are saying they meant 3 months after the visit not when Addie was 3 months old. I am going to look into that some more because I don't want to rush I also do not want her to fall behind because I am not on top if it. In other news I have made my first few adventures out of the house with all 3 children by myself and we all survived! And we had one beautiful day the beginning of this week and Addie got to go on her first walk. She really enjoyed sitting up in the stroller looking around! Life is fun. She sleeps good, eats good, and is smiling whenever you talk to her! Amidst all the things she has dealt with in these 3 short months she is a huge joy and blessing! Plus, pink is just fun after all my blue :) We are praising for all the positives and continuing to pray for the areas that still need work! God is faithful and He is working!

Braces, Braces, Braces...

Wednesday was an exciting day here. Addie got her casts off and is now in braces! The doctor was pleased with how the extra week of casting helped her left foot. She wears the braces the majority of the day. They are only off to stretch the foot up and down, 4 times a day, and take a bath. The change from casts to braces is exciting in a lot of ways. Addie can now wear pants and take baths, which she loves! They do come with some difficulties the casts did not have. Her feet are so small and so are the braces! They have to get on just right in order to keep her heel down and the achilles' tendon stretched and the arch straight. It can be very stressful for me. I am having to do and re-do it before it is right each time I take them off. The braces look like little ski shoes that strap 3 times that hold her foot flat and straight. They are connected with a bar in between the 2 shoes. The best part is that they are pink! We go back in one month to recheck how she is handling them. The plan at this point is 3 months all day with the braces on and then start to wean to where she will just wear them at night. Every step is progress and I am thankful for it, even the difficult parts. God is holding us up through it and carrying us through.  Psalms 73:26 "My flesh and my heart may fail  but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." The specific prayer requests right now would be that there is no regression on her arch or achilles' tendon from switching to braces, and that I am able to get the shoes on correctly each time to keep her feet in their correct positions. Thank you all for your prayers we are truly blessed! God is working and answering!

2 Months Old

Addie is 2 months old today. Seems unbelievable all she has already gone through. The main thing she has gone through so far is her feet, and at this point she is almost completely done with the casting of them. The surgery went well and her next appointment is Feb 19th where they will take off her casts for the first time after surgery. Her doctor will most likely put them back on for another week or so until her braces come in, which we will order at the appointment. He was very pleased with her progress after surgery, and just seeing her casting you can tell how dramatically her feet have been stretched and changed to look more like a typical foot. What an amazing blessing all that modern medicine can do! We have also dealt with her hip which for the time being will remain out of place until the bone solidifies more around 12-15 months and can be put into socket. The last issue we have been watching is the movement of her arms specifically her left arm, which she did not move at birth. We met with 3 different therapists in order to determine eligibility for the state program Early Intervention and also to decide what type and amount of therapy she needs. They all agreed that she does qualify for the program; though at this point the think continual therapy is not necessary. When the time comes we will be able to get therapists through their program who will most likely come to our house to do her therapy. The program will also help pay for the cost insurance does not cover. The occupational therapist did give me some range of motion exercises and advised us to massage her arms. We started this about 2 weeks ago doing the exercises 4 times a day. Last weekend we began to see slight movement at her elbow and also noticed that if you pulled her arm out she would pull it back into her side, where up to this point it always stayed. Then, yesterday while her brothers were talking to her she got excited and started LIFTING it off the floor! It is amazing progress! God is touching her still.  The therapists all recommended reevaluating her at around 3 months, when she can start to do weight bearing exercises, to determine the extent of therapy needed. Other than that she is doing great. She smiles a lot, especially at her brothers! She is nursing very well now with the shield, and she is sleeping pretty decently at night. She was doing 6 hours for awhile but not we are around every 4. I have been able to get all 3 children to nap together most days so that is a huge help for me! We are living and loving. God is working and faithful. I am so thankful to see His hand so continually. We went through the surgery and while the feet were good the hip did not go as we had hoped, but now the arm is better than we had hoped. In the midst of it all we just must trust in His word and His promises. We may not always see or know what He is doing now, but we know that He is working and we see how He has worked which encourages us in believing that He will continue to work!  So we hold to the truths we find in His word that "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 way and my thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:8-9. In the end His way is always best, this we know. We trust and we praise! When she lifted her arm yesterday I just wanted to shout for joy! It is hard at times to watch and know the things she should be able to do but can't. The joy that comes as she conquers the milestones is amazing. Knowing that God is working in her and on her. He is using each step of this journey to bless us, and draw us closer to Him. That fact gives me the strength to go on even when I don't know why or how. I know Him and that is enough. In time He always shows Himself, and it is always the right time and the right way. Addie may have many difficulties in life, but God will touch her of them all. "The righteous person may have many troubles,  but the Lord delivers him from them all" Psalm 34:19.  I can only praise because through this we are growing and are becoming the people we need to be to do the work He desires us to do. 

Psalm 150

¹ Praise the Lord.

Praise God in his sanctuary;
    praise him in his mighty heavens.
² Praise him for his acts of power;
    praise him for his surpassing greatness.
³ Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
    praise him with the harp and lyre,
⁴ praise him with timbrel and dancing,
    praise him with the strings and pipe,
⁵ praise him with the clash of cymbals,
    praise him with resounding cymbals.

⁶ Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord.