Hello y'all,
Today is a glorious day. Not because there is any new development, but because it is the day the Lord has made. I decided to leave Dawn for a little while and go to church. We are going through the book of Mark at Bullitt Lick and today we were on Mark 10:13-27. Most of us don't have this verse memorized, so here are some key verses.
13 And they were bringing children to Him so that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked them. 14 But when Jesus saw this, He was indignant and said to them, "Permit the children to come to Me; do not hinder them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15 "Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all." 16 And He took them in His arms and began blessing them, laying His hands on them.
Mark 10:13-16 (NASB)
Emily is dependant on the doctors and nurses for everything. If she was in our care, the case would be the same. We would be responsible for providing everything she needs to survive. We would feed her and clothe her and change her diaper. This is how God wants us to be with HIM. He wants us to depend on HIM for everything. Every breathe we take is a gift from HIM and we need to acknowledge that. Every decision we make, we should not think about how it affects us, but how it reflects HIM.
This is how I am trying to live my life. It is not easy because when He wants you to trust Him, He doesn't let you in on what He is doing until you can look back on the event and see His hand guiding every step. As an example, I graduated from seminary in May. It was my hope and prayer that I would have a new job and be settled in a new home in time for the baby's arrival. He had other plans. Looking back on it now, we are right near one of the best Children's Hospitals around, and Dawn is being taken care of by doctors that she knows and trusts. Our church family has been there every step of the way providing support and prayers and right now there is no better place for us to be than right here...we are where HE wants us to be.
All of this is to say that we need to put our trust in God alone! He knows what He is doing and where we need to be at every moment of our lives. Making a decision to follow Him with ALL of my heart has been one of the hardest things of my life, but one of the most rewarding. I have gone places I never would have thought (like Kentucky) and look forward to where He will take us next.
I am truly blessed and I just wanted to share this message with you.
On a separate note...I got to hold Emily in my arms today...it was a good day! Everything is the same for now as far as her progress. She is breathing on her own and she is still being fed through tubes and on medication to control the seizures. This will most likely continue for some time. Tomorrow she is going for an EEG and an MRI. These tests will give the doctors the information they need to make an assessment of what to do next. Hopefully, we will be speaking to the Neurologist tomorrow and getting some answers. If not tomorrow, definitely Tuesday.
So, the next time you hear from me we should know a little more than we do right now. I will write back as soon as we hear from the doctor and fill you all in on what is going on here.
Thank you all for the prayers and support! Let me assure you that your prayers are being answered because she looks great and Dawn and I are doing great. As I mentioned before, even if there is permanent damage, we are still blessed to have such a beautiful miracle in our lives!
May God bless you all as He has blessed us!!
Mike
Eph 2:4-7
Showing posts with label scripture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label scripture. Show all posts
October 22, 2007 - Update on Emily
Hello all,
This is Dawn, not Mike. I have received several emails saying "we hear from Mike, but how are YOU doing?” So I thought it would be a good idea for me to send the update this time around.
First, I am doing well. My recovery is moving along smoothly. I certainly did not plan to be out and about as much as I have been. The biggest challenge has been taking the time to rest and do what I need to do to recover while running back and forth to the hospital to spend time with Emily. That has been a tough balance at times. I want to spend as much time as possible with Emily, but taking care of me is the best gift that I can give her. So please pray for me as I try to find the right balance.
Second, Emily is doing great! She has been such a blessing to us – I cannot even begin to describe it to you. We know that she will have challenges ahead of her, but she has shown us that she is a fighter and we are so thankful. We have not sent an update in about a week, so bear with me while I brag on my little girl for a bit...
She is absolutely adorable (in my completely unbiased opinion)! Each day she does something new. It is SO amazing to watch her. We count it a privilege to be parents to such an amazing little girl. I know in Mike’s last email, he mentioned that she cried for the first time. Well, she has really gotten the hang of crying & does it every single day. She likes to let us know when she is not happy! And that is wonderful. Twice this week, Mike and I were able to give her a sponge bath. And both times she cried and screamed as if we were beating her with sticks. She gets bright red, scrunches her entire face & just screams. It is wonderful to hear her expressing herself (maybe in a few months we may not think the crying is so great, but for now, we are thrilled).
This week she began working with a speech therapist. The therapist works with her on her sucking, swallowing and her gag reflex. The first day she did this, Emily cried for an hour after the therapist left – apparently she does not like to be gagged repeatedly (who would?). But each day has gotten better. She has started to like her pacifier and actually is soothed by sucking on it (at times). Tomorrow she will have a swallow study done. The therapist will give her liquids of varying consistencies and then x-ray her to see where they go (into her lungs or into her esophagus). This is a very important study. If it goes well, she can move to bottle feedings and eventually to nursing. This means she can have her feeding tube removed. Speaking of feedings, each day they have increased the amount she eats. She is currently eating 57 cc’s every 3 hours. By the time we take her home, she is going to be a porker! At her last weigh in that we witnessed she was 9 lbs. 8 oz!
Yesterday and today, Emily made some great progress. Yesterday, she was moved to a crib rather than the bed with a warmer – so she is able to hold her own body temperature now. And she also went off her oxygen. She has given the nurses a couple of scares where her oxygen levels dropped low, but then she brings them back up again. This too, will get better with time. And today, she was taken off one of her seizure medications - the one that makes her really sleepy. So as this gets out of her system, we will be able to see more and more of her personality (she seems to be a feisty one, so that should be interesting!). And the doctor told me that she will be moving tonight to an intermediate section of the NICU – as the doctor said “this is one step closer to the door”. So Mike and I are hopeful that she will get to come home soon.
The nurses allow us to do more and more which has been wonderful. We have been able to change diapers, bathe her and take her temperature and a few other things. It makes us feel like we are doing something to care for our daughter. I cannot begin to describe to you what a blessing Emily has been to us. She amazes us every single day. This experience has been amazing. No, it isn’t the way we expected things to go, but it is exactly the way that God had planned. I have clung to Psalm 139 lately:
13For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
16 your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
Emily is perfect in God’s eyes. She is exactly the way that God wants her to be. She was knit together in my womb by God Himself. He knows exactly who she will be and how many days she will have on this earth. And I am thankful that He has counted us worthy of being her parents. We do ask that you continue to pray for her as she grows. And pray that we will be the parents that she needs us to be – that God intended us to be. We have received countless emails from people who are praying for us & I cannot tell you what it means to us. There is incredible power in prayer!
Thank you for the overwhelming love and support that we have received from many of you. It has sustained us in those times when we think we can't go on. And yes we do have those times, but God is faithful. It is only through His strength that we get through each day. We could NOT do it on our own. We trust that He will be with us every step of the way and we take great comfort in that.
In HIS strength,
Dawn
This is Dawn, not Mike. I have received several emails saying "we hear from Mike, but how are YOU doing?” So I thought it would be a good idea for me to send the update this time around.
First, I am doing well. My recovery is moving along smoothly. I certainly did not plan to be out and about as much as I have been. The biggest challenge has been taking the time to rest and do what I need to do to recover while running back and forth to the hospital to spend time with Emily. That has been a tough balance at times. I want to spend as much time as possible with Emily, but taking care of me is the best gift that I can give her. So please pray for me as I try to find the right balance.
Second, Emily is doing great! She has been such a blessing to us – I cannot even begin to describe it to you. We know that she will have challenges ahead of her, but she has shown us that she is a fighter and we are so thankful. We have not sent an update in about a week, so bear with me while I brag on my little girl for a bit...
She is absolutely adorable (in my completely unbiased opinion)! Each day she does something new. It is SO amazing to watch her. We count it a privilege to be parents to such an amazing little girl. I know in Mike’s last email, he mentioned that she cried for the first time. Well, she has really gotten the hang of crying & does it every single day. She likes to let us know when she is not happy! And that is wonderful. Twice this week, Mike and I were able to give her a sponge bath. And both times she cried and screamed as if we were beating her with sticks. She gets bright red, scrunches her entire face & just screams. It is wonderful to hear her expressing herself (maybe in a few months we may not think the crying is so great, but for now, we are thrilled).
This week she began working with a speech therapist. The therapist works with her on her sucking, swallowing and her gag reflex. The first day she did this, Emily cried for an hour after the therapist left – apparently she does not like to be gagged repeatedly (who would?). But each day has gotten better. She has started to like her pacifier and actually is soothed by sucking on it (at times). Tomorrow she will have a swallow study done. The therapist will give her liquids of varying consistencies and then x-ray her to see where they go (into her lungs or into her esophagus). This is a very important study. If it goes well, she can move to bottle feedings and eventually to nursing. This means she can have her feeding tube removed. Speaking of feedings, each day they have increased the amount she eats. She is currently eating 57 cc’s every 3 hours. By the time we take her home, she is going to be a porker! At her last weigh in that we witnessed she was 9 lbs. 8 oz!
Yesterday and today, Emily made some great progress. Yesterday, she was moved to a crib rather than the bed with a warmer – so she is able to hold her own body temperature now. And she also went off her oxygen. She has given the nurses a couple of scares where her oxygen levels dropped low, but then she brings them back up again. This too, will get better with time. And today, she was taken off one of her seizure medications - the one that makes her really sleepy. So as this gets out of her system, we will be able to see more and more of her personality (she seems to be a feisty one, so that should be interesting!). And the doctor told me that she will be moving tonight to an intermediate section of the NICU – as the doctor said “this is one step closer to the door”. So Mike and I are hopeful that she will get to come home soon.
The nurses allow us to do more and more which has been wonderful. We have been able to change diapers, bathe her and take her temperature and a few other things. It makes us feel like we are doing something to care for our daughter. I cannot begin to describe to you what a blessing Emily has been to us. She amazes us every single day. This experience has been amazing. No, it isn’t the way we expected things to go, but it is exactly the way that God had planned. I have clung to Psalm 139 lately:
13For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
16 your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
Emily is perfect in God’s eyes. She is exactly the way that God wants her to be. She was knit together in my womb by God Himself. He knows exactly who she will be and how many days she will have on this earth. And I am thankful that He has counted us worthy of being her parents. We do ask that you continue to pray for her as she grows. And pray that we will be the parents that she needs us to be – that God intended us to be. We have received countless emails from people who are praying for us & I cannot tell you what it means to us. There is incredible power in prayer!
Thank you for the overwhelming love and support that we have received from many of you. It has sustained us in those times when we think we can't go on. And yes we do have those times, but God is faithful. It is only through His strength that we get through each day. We could NOT do it on our own. We trust that He will be with us every step of the way and we take great comfort in that.
In HIS strength,
Dawn
November 3, 2007 - Emily Update (from Dawn)
Hello all,
After three weeks, the reality of Emily’s condition is starting to sink in. Many of you have asked why or how this happened. The doctor’s have not been able to give us an answer, and in all likelihood, probably never will. There is an answer that may be hard for some of you to comprehend. Before time began, God decided that Emily Rose would be deprived of oxygen while in the womb and would be born with brain damage. Now, I am not going to pretend to understand why God chose this. The sovereign God of the universe doesn’t exactly check with me before making decisions, but I have no doubt that this is exactly what God intended for Emily and for us as her parents.
Over the last 3 weeks I have wondered if I could really handle this. During my pregnancy, there were many times that I wondered if I could handle motherhood in general. Now that Emily is born and we know that there will be a long hard road ahead, I doubt myself even more. If we are all honest, there have been times in our lives when something came our way or happened to us that we thought we could not handle. This is no exception. But what I am reminded of time and time again is that I am not in this alone. Yes, I have Mike to help with parenting, and family and friends who are more than willing to help in any way that they can. But more than that, I have God by my side. Mike and I have seen some hard times in our lives and God has NEVER failed us – He is not about to start now. For some reason, God has chosen this for us. And He will equip us to handle it. He will give us the wisdom, strength and guidance that we need. We take great comfort in that.
This week, Mike and I decided to move forward with getting a g-tube for Emily. That is a feeding tube that will be inserted in her stomach. It is not the route that we wanted to go, but it will bring her home & at this point, that is what we want most. We want our little girl home with us! We can continue to work with her on bottle feedings and will do so. And if the Lord wills, she will eventually have her feeding tube removed. We would love that, but even if that never happens, we will continue to love Emily and love God for blessing us with her. We have really begun to face a lot of realities like that this week. Emily may never eat “normal” food or walk or do a lot of things that we all take for granted. Right now, we have no way to know what she will or will not do, but Mike and I are just trying to prepare for the hard road. We will love her no matter what she does or does not do. And more than that, we will continue to love God even if Emily doesn’t ever do the things we want her to do.
In her short life, Emily has been teaching us many things already. We have learned about sacrificial love – we are willing to do WHATEVER for our daughter – even if it is uncomfortable for us (and much of this has been). She has taught us to graciously receive from others as many have rallied around us in support (we cannot thank you enough for that!). She has also taught us about dependence. In today’s world, we learn to be strong and independent – we learn that we don’t need anyone. Well, Emily has taught us that we need to completely depend on God for EVERYTHING. Mike and I don’t know how to care for a special girl like Emily – we don’t even know where to begin. But that is exactly where God wants us – relying on Him for ALL of our needs.
So at this time when we are filled with doubts and fears about what the future holds, we continue to hang onto God with all our might. He will get us through whatever comes our way. He will give us wisdom when we need it, He will be our strength when we have none of our own. God is bigger than any problem we will face (Ephesians 3:20-21: 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.). He created Emily and knows exactly what she needs even if we don’t. He is Jehovah-jireh – the Great Provider! Please continue to pray for Emily and for us – there is INCREDIBLE power in prayer!
Love,
Dawn
After three weeks, the reality of Emily’s condition is starting to sink in. Many of you have asked why or how this happened. The doctor’s have not been able to give us an answer, and in all likelihood, probably never will. There is an answer that may be hard for some of you to comprehend. Before time began, God decided that Emily Rose would be deprived of oxygen while in the womb and would be born with brain damage. Now, I am not going to pretend to understand why God chose this. The sovereign God of the universe doesn’t exactly check with me before making decisions, but I have no doubt that this is exactly what God intended for Emily and for us as her parents.
Over the last 3 weeks I have wondered if I could really handle this. During my pregnancy, there were many times that I wondered if I could handle motherhood in general. Now that Emily is born and we know that there will be a long hard road ahead, I doubt myself even more. If we are all honest, there have been times in our lives when something came our way or happened to us that we thought we could not handle. This is no exception. But what I am reminded of time and time again is that I am not in this alone. Yes, I have Mike to help with parenting, and family and friends who are more than willing to help in any way that they can. But more than that, I have God by my side. Mike and I have seen some hard times in our lives and God has NEVER failed us – He is not about to start now. For some reason, God has chosen this for us. And He will equip us to handle it. He will give us the wisdom, strength and guidance that we need. We take great comfort in that.
This week, Mike and I decided to move forward with getting a g-tube for Emily. That is a feeding tube that will be inserted in her stomach. It is not the route that we wanted to go, but it will bring her home & at this point, that is what we want most. We want our little girl home with us! We can continue to work with her on bottle feedings and will do so. And if the Lord wills, she will eventually have her feeding tube removed. We would love that, but even if that never happens, we will continue to love Emily and love God for blessing us with her. We have really begun to face a lot of realities like that this week. Emily may never eat “normal” food or walk or do a lot of things that we all take for granted. Right now, we have no way to know what she will or will not do, but Mike and I are just trying to prepare for the hard road. We will love her no matter what she does or does not do. And more than that, we will continue to love God even if Emily doesn’t ever do the things we want her to do.
In her short life, Emily has been teaching us many things already. We have learned about sacrificial love – we are willing to do WHATEVER for our daughter – even if it is uncomfortable for us (and much of this has been). She has taught us to graciously receive from others as many have rallied around us in support (we cannot thank you enough for that!). She has also taught us about dependence. In today’s world, we learn to be strong and independent – we learn that we don’t need anyone. Well, Emily has taught us that we need to completely depend on God for EVERYTHING. Mike and I don’t know how to care for a special girl like Emily – we don’t even know where to begin. But that is exactly where God wants us – relying on Him for ALL of our needs.
So at this time when we are filled with doubts and fears about what the future holds, we continue to hang onto God with all our might. He will get us through whatever comes our way. He will give us wisdom when we need it, He will be our strength when we have none of our own. God is bigger than any problem we will face (Ephesians 3:20-21: 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.). He created Emily and knows exactly what she needs even if we don’t. He is Jehovah-jireh – the Great Provider! Please continue to pray for Emily and for us – there is INCREDIBLE power in prayer!
Love,
Dawn
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