Blessed!

I've been reminded this weekend how lucky Jason and I are to be the parents of three precious children.

Thank you God for our oldest son. We are constantly amazed at his ability to reason and understand. I am thankful for his sensitive spirit and caring nature. He is a sports fanatic and will talk baseball with anyone who will listen! He is a true treasure!

Thank you God for our middle child who makes us laugh. His strong will lets us know that he will one day be a leader. He is snuggly and sneaks in extra kisses and hugs every night at bed time! His smile can turn any frown upside down!

Thank you God for our baby girl. We love watching her learn new things like rolling over and sitting up. Her squeals for attention show us that she loves to be in the limelight. She is a gift who reminds me each day of God's love for us.

I love being a mom and can't wait to see what God has in store for these precious children!!!

She's growing up!

Our daughter is so much fun these days. She watches her older brothers in amazement and loves the attention they give her. She coos at her daddy and tries to match pitch with us as we talk to her. She's also been learning to play with her tongue and make raspberry sounds which makes us laugh! This weekend, we worked on "mama, dada, and buba" with no luck, but it sure is fun watching her study our mouth as we make these sounds over and over and over. It won't be long before she's talking in sentences.

This weekend I was finally able to pack away her 0-3 month clothes. She fits pretty well in the 3-6 month clothes, so I decided it was time! I didn't cry (which is a miracle)...maybe it's because God gave me so much time with her being so tiny!

Tonight she rolled all over her room chasing her brother. She even got stuck under her baby bed. I can't wait to see the fun tricks she has in store for us! She truly keeps us entertained!

A round of 6 month appointments

The last two weeks were filled with appointments with all of our daughter's specialists to discuss the MRI results from their perspective. Here is a snippet of what we learned:

Ophthalmologist: The hemangiomas around our daughter's left eye are shrinking. We learned that the orbit hemangiomas are around the top part of the eye including the eye lid which is why it swelled closed so quickly in her first few weeks of life with the growth of the hemangioma. Our daughter seems to be using both eyes equally which leads us to believe her vision is good.

Dermatologist: The color of the birthmark on our daughter's face continues to fade. The hemangioma on the back of her neck is unchanged, all other hemangiomas have decreased in size.

Pediatrician: Our daughter continues to measure small in her head size and length (10th percentile). Her weight continues to fall off of the growth curve (less than 3rd percentile).

Neurologist: Our daughter seems to be developing typically. She is meeting her milestones as expected. Her brain is developing myelin which shows that it is "working".

The best news of all is that all of the doctors agree that our daughter is healthy enough that her follow-up CT Angiogram that was originally scheduled for October has been pushed back to December. Everyone is encouraged by all that they've seen in the last couple of weeks.

Prayers are working!

Follow-up MRI

Today is the day of our daughter's follow-up MRI. As a mom, I've been looking forward to today for a couple of months. I REALLY needed to hear from doctors that our daughter is looking as good on the inside as she does on the outside.

Our day of tests started with a few frustrations, but our daughter did great. We have already received a call from the neurologist with some very positive news:

1. Our daughter's internal hemangiomas are regressing.

2. Our daughter's carotid artery seems to be carrying blood as needed.

3. Our daughter's brain is developing typically.

The official MRI report won't be available until Monday, but this initial news is a true encouragement. We will meet with all of her speciaists over the next two weeks to get their opinions, but this is FANTASTIC news!

Prayer Warriors

For over five months we've been encouraged by friends and family members that they are praying for our daughter. We have received cards, messages on Facebook, phone calls and emails. Though I've heard these words of encouragement time and time again, last weekend I actually got to see some of these prayer warriors "with skin on"!

To celebrate the long Fourth of July weekend, we made a very quick trip to Oklahoma and Missouri to visit family members who had not yet met our daughter. It was very important to me that we make this trip now that our daughter is healthy enough to be loved-on by other people. I wanted them to get to enjoy her snuggles as much as we do! I also wanted my boys to be able to make some memories with these family members who love them so much!

Our first stop was Ada, Oklahoma where she got to meet one of her great-grandfathers. Though this stop was for only a few hours, we had a great visit (and some yummy Mexican food)!

Our next stop was Springfield, Missouri where she got to meet aunts, uncles, cousins and another set of great-grandparents. We were in Springfield for July 4th and were able to attend a patriotic worship service at their home church. Memaw was excited to get to introduce us to her friends in her Sunday School class. I am convinced that every great-grandparent is proud of their kiddos, but this "show-off" was different. I quickly realized that the reason she wanted us to meet these friends is because they have been praying for us in very specific ways. She wanted them to be able to put a face with our names and see how good our daughter looks.

These intercessors called us by name and reminded us of specific ways they're praying for us. I was overwhelmed with emotion realizing that this handfull of people represents the many people who I don't even know who have whispered prayers on our behalf.

I looked up a definition for "Intercessory Prayer" tonight and here's what I found: Intercessory prayer is prayer for others. An intercessor is one who takes the place of another or pleads another's case. One study Bible defines intercession as "holy, believing, persevering prayer whereby someone pleads with God on behalf of another or others who desperately need God's intervention."

I am thankful for the many prayer warriors who take time out of their day to lift my daughter/family up in prayer. God's people are good!

Typically Developing!

Our daughter had an appointment earlier this week with her pediatrician to follow up on her weight gain, head size and length. Good news...she's staying on the curve! Her head size and length are both in the 10th percentile and her weight is in the 5th percentile...but she's stable! Though she is 5 months old and is still wearing size 0-3 month clothes, she made the progress that you would expect from any other child. The pediatrician deemed her "typically developing"...HOORAY! If this growth trend continues, she's projected to be a little over five foot tall and just over 100 lbs as an adult...she certainly did not get these petite genes from her 5'11" mother!

We have another round of tests (MRI/MRA) later in July and will then see all of our specialists again (ophthalmologist, dermatologist, neurologist and pediatrician). We will repeat this cycle in October with a CT Angiogram. We are trusting that our daughter looks as good on the inside as she does on the outside!

Not the "twinkle" I was expecting

When I woke up this morning, I was full of joy. Today was to be the first day our daughter would attend New Hope (our church home). Because of some of the medications she's been taking, her immune system has been compromised, but with a change in medication and another round of routine inoculations, the doctors declared her healthy enough to begin getting out and about.

The last four and a half months have brought many changes to our lives, but one of the changes that has impacted me the most was my inability to get to attend worship with my family. Because of Jason's obligations at the church each Sunday (he's on staff there), it was not an option for him to stay home while I attended worship. Each week I would get up with the boys, get them around for church and then the three of them would head off while I stayed home taking care of our daughter. I loved the precious hours of quiet when she and I could take a mid-morning nap on my bed while watching portions of the Great Hills worship service on TV, but I missed corporate worship.

So today would be the day. I posted a verse on Facebook this morning that captured my anticipation: "A twinkle in the eye means joy in the heart, and good news makes you feel fit as a fiddle. (Proverbs 15:30)" I really thought that I would "twinkle" all day...but that was not to be the case.

The plan for the morning was for me to wake up and help get the boys out the door for church nice and early so that they could attend their Hope Group Class (Sunday School), and then I would meet them in time for the late worship service. Things went very smoothly. They were out the door in time, my daughter and I got to steal a few quiet minutes together before getting ourselves ready to go. I pondered over which bow would be the cutest for her debut. And we were off at just the time I'd planned.

On the way to church I turned on KLOVE and heard a few songs of praise that brought tears to my eyes. I was so thankful to be heading to worship and whispered aloud a prayer of thanksgiving. As I parked the car and began walking into church carrying our daughter in her car carrier, more tears. Then, all it took was a hug from a sweet friend who was happy to see us, and the tears began to flow. They wouldn't stop for over an hour. I was not anticipating the many emotions that were consuming my heart...JOY to be in worship, LOVE for my friends that I haven't seen in over four months, PRIDE for my new baby, and FEAR...this was the one I didn't expect. I was afraid! Not for the germs that could make our daughter sick, but for the second looks, comments and questions that would arise. My heart hurts! I don't want my daughter to become a spectacle because she doesn't look the same as the other babies.

I know that these feelings are perfectly normal. I know that my church family loves and supports us more than I will ever be able to comprehend. But I also know that these second looks, comments and questions about our daughter are the new "normal" for us. I know that my heart will find comfort in the kindness of those who love us, but I need to also be constantly prepared for those who say or do things that are hurtful. I know that my boys are watching me to see how I react to these times and that they will take their cues from me.

The final song in our music set today was "I Surrender All". (How does God always know just the song we'll need at just the right time?) I had to just sit back and listen through the first three verses because my heart was not truly ready to surrender. But, by the last verse, the tears were flowing as I once again surrendered all to Him!

All to Jesus I surrender

Lord I give [My Daughter] to Thee

Fill me with Thy love and power

Let Thy blessing fall on me!

I Surrender All!!!

My precious children after our first day together at church (and a Burger King lunch...note the crown!).