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.