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!