Surgery Scheduled

Addie's surgery has been scheduled for next Tuesday February 4th at 8:00 A.M. In this surgery they will loosen both of her achilles' tendons. This is done by continually poking the tendons with a type of syringe. It allows them to loosen them without having to cut her open. The doctor is also going to apply this same method on the muscle in her right groin area hoping that by loosening that muscle he will be able to put her hip into place. The surgery should only take 30-45 minutes and it is outpatient.  As soon as she wakes up and eats we will be able to bring her home. If the hip does go into place she will be casted from her belly button down to her toes. This will be for 2 weeks, then they will take the cast off and she will be given a pair of braced shoes for her feet. She will then be casted from her belly button to above her knees for 8 more weeks. It is going to be a process, but if all goes well and her hip goes into place this should be the only surgery necessary! If her hip doesn't go in with the looser muscle she will need an invasive surgery between 12-15 months old. We are praying for  successful surgery! We are leaning on our rock! Psalm 71:3 "Be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go give the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress."

Redeemed!

I can't stop thinking about the idea of redemption. God has redeemed us from sin. I knew that, but the idea of redemption is much more than that. He redeems our lives fully each instance piece by piece. He brings good out of bad. He redeems our hurts, our struggles, our sin, our past, our present, our future. He redeems all of it when we let Him have all of us! It is so amazing and freeing to me.We deal with sickness and disease because we live in a fallen world. So Christians and non-Christians face similar challenges because of the world we live in. The difference between the two is that Christians have the promises that God will use each struggle and hurt for good. 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." He will redeem what sin has ruined. He will take the sickness and death and turn it into glory and salvation! We were bought with the blood the most costly redemption of all, but God has deemed us worth it! WOW! Are we living like we are? 1 Peter 1:18-21 "For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors,but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God." I can't get over this idea because I keep seeing how God is redeeming different situations in our family. He has not rescued us from these present trials but because our faith is in Him we have hope that He will use them and He has. The doctors were intially worried about Addie's arms, legs, and heart. God touched her heart immediately and we were able to encourage a friend whose baby had a heart murmur. We were able to encourage and share as a testimony how God is still in the business of healing! He touched that baby too. He redeemed that issue for His glory in the best way! Her arms while the left is still not fully functioning it is not stuck in place or deformed as we thought after the first ultrasound because at the second ultrasound she waved at me! He was working there too! While she will need therapy we know that He touched her and loosened those fingers and joints! God used this to allow us to encourage another family member who had a baby whose arm was injured during delivery. We saw His redeeming power once again! And now we had prayed and prayed for her clubbed feet to be healed upon birth, but when they weren't we continued to trust that His ways are not our ways. Once again we have seen how He is redeeming the casting and surgery. Another friend is having to go through casting for their child, for a different reason but casting the same, and we are able to connect on a level of understanding with them that would not be possible had God healed her like we asked. God is redeeming each situation and is letting us see His redeeming power! The best part is that He isn't done! We are seeing how He has used each stage He has let us go through whether the immediate healing of her heart, the beginning of healing on her arms and hands, or through the doctor's method of casting on her legs. He is not just healing our Addie's body but He is healing others bodies and souls through her struggles. What a blessing that while we face struggles in this world because we are His they are not wasted. As we turn these struggles to Him, He redeems us and others because of them! How awesome to choose to trust in His ways and His time and then Him to bless us and allow us to see a portion of how He is using them. Isaiah 43:1-3a
"But now, this is what the Lord says- he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you, I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;" He created us and formed us, He wants good for us, does not leave us alone to walk through the trials of this world! So as we head into surgery we face yet another trial, but we trust. The temptation to fear the worst case scenario has been playing heavily on me this week as I realize how close surgery is 1-2 weeks. Yet these scriptures in Isaiah are a great reminder to me of His love and redemption. He has already paid the price, so I will not fear.  He has summoned me by name and I am His! So is Addie! So are you if you desire to be! He already paid the price for each of us. Now it is just sitting there a free gift waiting to be accepted by accepting the need for a Savior in your life and admitting that Jesus as the Son of God is that Savior! Turn to Him and He will redeem you! He will redeem all of you! The price He paid is too high to let it be wasted! I am choosing yet again to give all that I am. I will live with abandon! He is too good and too faithful not to! And not just in this life but the next also! Romans 6:23" For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our lord." I may not have chosen the struggles we are facing, but I am so thankful for the way I am seeing more and more of Jesus in my day to day as we go through them. The peace we have been walking in is so strong that I know we are not actually walking through this but being carried in the loving arms of our Father! It is such a blessing to not face this alone, but in the arms of God and being held up there by the prayers of our friends and families! There is power in prayer and even more power in the blood of Christ! We are relying and depending on both of those and they have not failed!

One Month!

Well our little Addie is one month old already! I can't believe how quickly time flies and how much a month can change things. Praise God Addie is doing amazingly well. She has got to the point now where she nurses without following it with a bottle, which has made my life much easier! Also, the doctor is pleased with the progress the casting is having on her feet. He told us at the appointment last Friday that he think surgery on her achilles' tendon is about a month out. So we are looking at early February for that. We are still waiting for her to start physical therapy on her left arm in order to strengthen it. The state of Illinois actually has a program to help pay for the physical therapy and early intervention for children 3 and under. So at this point we are waiting for them to contact us and evaluate her to see if her issues qualify. The nurse I did speak with shared that the therapists now try and come to the house for therapy which will be nicer than me taking all 3 children along. Until the nurse evaluates her and then we will select a therapist we have no idea how often or how long she will need the therapy to build her strength up. We have been very blessed as we have gone through all this time though. The church family has brought meals, called, and prayed for us and it has been so nice to be cared for. Also, we were lucky because either my parents or Mike's parents have been able to be here with us giving me the 6 weeks to rest and recuperate as the doctor still has me on different restrictions.  God has been our joy and strength through this time and He has blessed us!"I will go to the altar of God-to God-the source of all my joy" Psalm 43:4.  We ask that you continue to pray for Addie's healing. Right now we are specifically praying for the upcoming surgery that it would be successful and especially for her right hip. If the doctor is able to get it into place during this surgery she will not need the more invasive surgery sometime next year. Also please pray for us to continue to stay healthy so that the surgery will not be delayed. Thank you all for lifting us up. He hears and answers each prayer in His time and in His way, which is always best and the true desire of our hearts!

A New Year

I think it is fair to say that 2013 was more than we expected at the beginning of it. It was a crazy, up and down, wonderful year. We went through quite a few hard spots but through it all we saw more and more how faithful and big God is. We have all changed this year and they are changes I wouldn't trade. We have been called into deeper study and more prayer. We have learned the idea of living by faith and basing our lives fully on the truth of the Scriptures. We have learned that even when the answers to our prayers don't come as we anticipate God is still God and He is in control. We were able to look back into our past to see how God had prepared us for the things we would face this year, especially with Addie, and we were able to face them by leaning on Him the way He had been teaching us. He has brought us into this new year closer to Him and ready and waiting to see how and when He will answer our prayers because we know He will answer! Addie is doing really well in a lot of ways. She is gaining weight very well and eating quite a bit, although still not nursing well even with the shield. She also sleeps pretty well at night and so far has been an easy baby. The casts on her legs don't seem to bother her most of the time. Christmas Eve did give us a scare because the toes on her right leg started to turn purple. They had told us that soaking the cast in warm water would allow us to remove it if this happened. We soaked for 45 minutes but nothing happened so we ended up taking her to the emergency room in order to have it cut off. She then was without a cast for the next couple days. This did set us back a little in the correction we had already achieved through the casting, but just about a week. Last week we had her 2 week check-up with the doctor and another orthopedic appointment to redo her casts on her legs. Both of these doctors expressed concern about her left arm because it was stuck in an awkward position during pregnancy and while she is capable of moving the arm it is very weak. The orthopedic doctor went ahead and made a splint a for it. Our little Addie now has 3 our of 4 limbs in casts or splints! It is a sad sight, but still we are thankful. There is no worry about nerves or chromosonal issues causing this just weakness because of the lack of room she had to move around in during pregnancy. Both doctors were referring her to physical therapy to deal with her left arm. They may also work with her right arm and hand some. The most exciting news we got though was that both parts of the chromosome testing came back normal!!! Mike and I looked back over some of the other struggles we have faced in our marriage and saw how they brought us down but at this point we look and say that while this could bring us down "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives." Genesis 50:20  We have learned and are learning how to live by faith and realizing that while things are not how we would desire more than that we desire God's glory and we know that He is using each and every struggle we have face and will face for His glory. We have see how He used our past struggles for His glory even though at the moment we didn't know how He would or could. We have celebrated Christmas and that is the birth of our Savior who came to redeem us, but He not only redeems us to be sons and daughters with Christ, but He redeems the struggles we face and uses these times that are hard and could be hopeless. He takes those struggles and turns them into His good for His glory. We can face each struggle with the promise that not only will He not let us walk through it alone (Matthew 28:20b And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age) but that also that He will use it (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.) So we will go into this year excited and ready because we know that God is on our side. He has proved himself faithful over and over again this year. We know the truth in this Scripture  "What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?  He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?" Romans 8:31-32. These truths will carry into and through the next year regardless of what it will hold for us because God does not change!

Awaiting the Miraculous while living in the Normal

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

1 Week Old!

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

Back Again!

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