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! 

37 Weeks!

Woohoo 37 weeks! And boy what a week it has been so far! This past weekend we were anointed once again for Addie's healing. It was a good time of prayer and once again we handed it over to God in faith. We decided to go out to eat afterwards and that is when things started getting interesting. As we were preparing to head home I had a sudden fear that my water was leaking, so we head home and I called the doctor. Of course they sent me to the hospital to get checked because if it were to be leaking there is chance of infection the longer it goes and so Addie would have to come then. Well, after the routine tests and an ultrasound they sent me home. Everything looked good and I was to follow up with my doctor at my next regular appointment which was set for Tuesday. I went to the appointment Tuesday for a schedule ultrasound and routine appointment. In the ultrasound we found that Addie is 6 pounds and 3 ounces!!!! She just keeps growing. That is on the smaller size for 37 weeks but saying that both my boys were only 6 pounds and 10 ounces she is doing well! There was some concern from the fluid levels in this ultrasound about still the possible leaking. So once again I headed to the hospital for a different test that is a little more accurate, but they had been unable to perform on Sunday. I had the second test done and also another ultrasound there so the resident doctor could once again check my fluid levels. Everything looked good and I was sent home. I have heard this verse many times in my life, but it has come up even more in the past week. 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." I have had three ultrasounds since we were anointed for healing and she is still breech and her feet are still severely clubbed, but none of that changes the truth of the Bible. I may not see how He is working it all for good, but I can and do trust that He is working it all for good; for my good. The Bible reminds us over and over how much God loves us, but it is the love of a Father. He wants what is best for us and only He knows what that is. As a parent I know there are many times my boys don't like or understand why they don't get what they want when they want it, but I am hoping they will learn to listen and obey because they see the love I have for them. It is not because of a power trip that I don't give in but because there is something better if we do it my way because I can see farther out than they can. It is the same way with God. Actually it is even better because He sees the beginning, the middle, and the end. I don't know why God didn't answer our prayer for healing the first time we prayed, or the second, or third, but I know that He will. James 5:14 "Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. 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." So I may not know His times or His ways, but I know His promises and His character. That is enough for me! We will continue waiting, trusting, and praising Him! Psalms 136:1 "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.His love endures forever."

The Blessings of Friends and Family!!

What a great week! Monday night my church family threw me a surprise shower for Addie. It was a beautiful and fun time. So many people came and sent gifts to bless our family! We have only been here a little over a year and it was so nice to be made such a part of the church family! We were very blessed with many beautiful presents diapers, wipes, toys, clothes, and blankets all so lovely! No worry about Addie showing up in blue clothes! This week has also been big because today Addie has official stayed in longer than Stephen! God is working! Early labor was a concern before we even knew about everything else going on with Addie. Sunday I will hit 37 weeks and while that will still be early it is considered full term! God is answering our prayers! The appointment today showed that I have dilated more, but not much, so things are looking good for me to be able to carry her longer! We have been praying that she will stay in as long as she needs and, also, that when she comes it will be with the right doctor present to deliver her. Today, we did schedule a C-section because she is still breech. The C-section date is December 12th at 8:00 A.M. This is good because it gives her plenty of time to turn on her own, unless I go into labor before that time. If I were to go into labor before that date they would do an ultrasound when we get to the hospital to check her position and then go from there. At this point we are just praising God. He has answered every prayer that has needed immediate answers and we are still anticipating her healing upon birth as we have been praying. We have decided get anointed again at our church here in Peoria this coming Sunday for her complete healing. We hold to the promises and instructions in James 5:14-16 " Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. 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." Thank each of you for the prayers you have lifted for us and for Addie. God has been faithful and will continue to be faithful. We are blessed beyond measure by the body of Christ all over that has been holding us up in prayer as we call out and anticipate God's power to come through for His glory in each and every situation! We are praying like Elijah in 1 Kings 18:37 "Answer me, Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again." We want to see God's power so that He can receive the glory that is due Him. We are so desperate for revival in our churches and in our country that as we call to Him and He answers in real and visible ways the doors are open for visible proof and turning of hearts to Him. That is our greatest desire through it all. That everything we do and say would turn hearts back to Him. Our deepest prayer is that our lives reflect Psalms 115:1 "Not to us, Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness."

Thankfulness

There is something to be said about choosing to go about life joyfully or thankfully. Once you start looking for things to be thankful about more and more start to show up. I had the house to myself yesterday!!! So I started writing some thank you notes I was sadly pretty behind on! It made me start thinking about how blessed I truly am. I was writing to thank people for some the things they had sent for Addie, but then I was struck with how much more grateful I was for all the prayers that they had and are praying for Addie. I have been learning more and more about persevering prayer these past few months. There is something special about not getting everything you want the second you ask for it. I think we see that as parents and try our best not to give our children every want right away so they don't become spoiled, or for their greater good. Why then would God not do the same thing for our greater good. Through periods of waiting we are called to a deeper trust in God because we are holding on in faith to His promises even though the results are not visible yet. My verse Hebrews 10:36 "You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised." God wants us to persevere so He can bless us, not only with what He has promised but also with a greater faith and appreciation of who He is. I don't want to get lost in doubt or despair because He is still God and He still loves me, but He also knows and sees so much bigger than I do and that is why trusting is necessary. He calls us to be patient and wait and I am learning that patience isn't in waiting but in joyfully waiting. Situations arise that we all must wait whether you want to or not. It doesn't make you patient that it takes you 3 hours to get from one place to another if you complain all the while; it makes you patient when you trust and have joy as you travel the 3 hours. In each situation the time doesn't change just your attitude and perspective. Then when you look back you have had a good trip instead of a miserable trip, blessings in disguise. So we have been persevering in prayer for Addie's healing believing that God hears us, but I was blessed as I wrote my thank you's and realized how many people He had been hearing. Matthew 18:19-20 "

“Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.  For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them." Also, there is the promise in Isaiah 65:24 "Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear." So you see while the things for Addie are wonderful how much more wonderful was the realization of all the people that have called out to God for Addie. He has met with them in prayer and He has already heard and answered the requests! We have a faithful God. While I was somewhat disappointed when I left the specialist last week, God reminded me and continued to remind me that He is hearing our prayers. Actually one of my biggest shocks last week was that I was already dilating, but then come Sunday my dad showed up to help me with the boys so that I can stay off my feet as much as possible! God already reminded He was in control and then He blessed me with an unexpected answer! So whatever things you may be need to persevere in prayer in don't lose hope. Psalms 147:11 "the Lord delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love." He delights when we fear Him and put our hope in Him because that is when His power came truly shine through. As we call out to Him and claim His word as true and therefore His promises in His word as true, there is power! Psalms 25:3a "No one who hopes in you, will ever be put to shame." Our hope and expectation for Addie's healing is found in Him. We are not afraid regardless what the last scans have said because we have cried out and continue to cry out, and we know that many others have and do continue to join us as we persevere and pray for her healing! So do not be discouraged if your answers haven't come as quickly as you anticipated, don't let that distract you from whom you are praying to and hoping in. The answers will come and it will be more than you could imagine. Remember how great God is! Get into His word and pray from your heart. "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." Ephesians 3:20-21. He is already at work to do more than we can even dream for His glory, but because of His love!

Voice of Truth

I love how God always knows what you need and when you need it. This pregnancy with Addie the song Voice of Truth by Casting Crowns has been one that has been in my head over and over again. It talks about how we need to listen to the true voice instead of all the others that float around clamoring for our attention. It was David listening to the voice of God instead of the voice of fear as the rest of the Isrealites that allowed him to face and defeat the giant, Goliath. I love the song. I went to the appointment expecting good news. We are praying and God is listening. The ultrasound showed that Addie is 5 pounds and 3 ounces!!! We made it over the 5 pound mark! The ultrasound also showed that her legs are still severely clubbed, and she is still in the breech position. Also, I have started to dilate and at this point if I go into labor they will not stop it. I was a little disappointed, but while we have been praying and believing for her healing we have also been desiring God's glory. As I got in the car the song Voice of Truth was on talking about David. It reminded me once again that regardless of what the outside voices may be saying God is still Lord of All and His voice and His words carry more weight than any other. Jeremiah 32:27  “I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?" God's promises are just as true today as they were yesterday. We will continue to pray for and expect full and complete healing on all of Addie by the time she is born. Hebrews 10:23 "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful." God hasn't changed and He won't so we will hold onto that as we hold onto to His promises. Including the verse we claimed for Addie from the beginning Psalm 139:13-14"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb^, I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." He is just not done knitting yet! So please join us in continuing to pray for complete healing for Addie, her turning around, and for me to be able to carry her to term! Here is a link to the song Voice of Truth, if you have not heard it I would encourage you to take a couple minutes and listen and remember where the truth that we should live our life off  comes from. 
voice of truth casting crowns