Another Day; Another Blessing

A gift from one of our nurses for our little girl!

We have been so blessed by the doctors and nurses at the hospital. Apparently this providence is not unusual here. It takes a special heart to do this work year after year. Not every story goes as well as Micah's has so far. Not every baby does so well, or even survives. Being here is a big deal. Being here is literally a matter of life and death for Micah. She makes it through each day by the grace of God and the diligence of the Harris staff.

AMAZING!!


Today, they had a second chance to insert a port so that the doctors and nurses could have better access to Micah Ahava's blood for her regular testing without having to poke her over and over or replace IV's every other day. (The evidence of the first attempt is seen on her wrist above; the bruise actually looks better than I had expected.) The success of this procedure matters so much, because her umbilical cord access is about to end as her little belly heals.

{A little later} The specialists got the pick line in this time, had to make one adjustment (normal), and then re-x-rayed the location to see if another adjustment is necessary. (At the moment, it looks good). They have also taken out the IV she had in her right hand and the line into her umbilical cord. Pretty soon she will discover that her favorite position is lying on her belly curled up in a tiny ball of Ahava-ness.

For myself, it's strange that things seem to be going so well, yet there is still so much stress and anxiety at the door every moment. Good news is hard to place confidence in, because we know it can change all in a moment. Also, we are tired from waking up every few hours, and even simple conversations with other people take more effort. We have only just begun, and already the journey seems so long.

Yesterday, I heard a parent of a recently released baby confess how hard it had been to be here for "7 whole weeks." I confess, I felt a little annoyed. However, I am beginning to understand that they weren't just complaining. It is hard. We will likely be here for almost 3 months, and I am already beginning to appreciate the toil it will take.

A few days before Micah was born, the Lord spoke something to us, which I assumed was more for Olivia than for myself: This will seem like the hardest thing you have ever done; but the Lord will not fail to reward your faithfulness. I don't get to do this poorly (whining, complaining, loosing my temper, etc.). This time isn't practice for becoming Micah's Daddy. I am Micah's Daddy, and by God's grace I am choosing to depend on Him for the ability not only to do so, but to do so well.

Thank you, Jesus, for another good day.

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