Walking with Jesus

We've had several "firsts" this week: first "rooming in," first time alone with Micah for both of us, first days with no tube feeding, first MRI (her doctor was amazed at how good Micah's brain looks), first weight of over 7 pounds (7 lbs, 1.1 oz.!), first trip outside the NICU (for the MRI), first meeting with Bea (the PEDIATRIC Nurse Practitioner in charge of pending dismissals)... We've also had several "lasts": last tube feeding (obviously), last eye appointment while we are here (everything looks good), last time with one of our favorite nurses, last day of decorations on the wall (because of a pending inspection), last trip to Abilene before we go home... We also had an almost first. We almost had our first vaccine, but felt a warning the Lord telling us not to do it. Vaccines are tricky. They are often referred to as "immunizations", but this is inaccurate because they do not guarantee any immunity (You have to search to

We have been very, very busy lately. Micah has made amazing progress on her O2 support. She is now "on the wall," taking a small flow of oxygen with no added pressure behind it and doing very well. In fact, one doctor said she has surprised them all in very good ways the whole time. She has begun bottle feeding (for the additives she needs as a micro-preemie). We were nervous about this, but it had to be done. After a few rough days, she has started doing well whether she bottle feeds or breastfeeds. As of today, 6 of her 8 meals are done without a tube. We are going to "room in" with her a few days, so we can practice taking care of her (with back up if we need it). Doing it during the day for a few days means we don't have to stay overnight right before we try to move home. She is off of all her meds and we feed her almost all of her meals anyway, so why not do it with a little privacy? Her regular tests (weight, etc.) have all gone to once or twice a

I could get used to this. Micah Ahava's First Dress Photo Shoot! Yeah, pretty much the cutest thing ever. Our family is growing "Bloomers!" Really? Another picture?? One of our favorite nurses. Happiness is seeing God keep His promises I see you, Papa. I see you, too! This is what I do. The "Us" Snuggles The heart of the snuggle He he he... Mine! Kickin' back Time to 'nuggle Going for a "walk" There she is! I might just not put her back, ya know. Daddy's Turn I could get used to this!

Micah is doing pretty well today. She tried 3 breastfeeds yesterday (with 2 back to back) and finished 2 1/2. She also gained 3 ounces yesterday after not gaining any the day before (probably scale variations). And, I really believe she has gotten cuter since my last update. Based on her slow and steady progress, we believe we will be here into October. Unfortunately, if you are checking in for a Micah update, that is all I have right now. Keep checking back, but this post is about something else. It's something I need to get off of my chest, something that has become a burden to me this week as I consider the world Micah is going to grow up in... --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As Christians, we need to remember we are at war. Moreover, we need to act like we are at war. So, if you will pardon my rather poor composition (being distracted by life here in the NICU), here's the thought...

So, Micah is now officially 1 day old, adjusted age. Adjusted age? Yes. Micah will have two ages for a while, until the second fades into the world of no-longer-a-factor. Bear in mind that her due date was only yesterday. Thus, she was only actually ready to be born 24 hours ago, give or take. Everything she has done so far has been ahead of schedule. She was breathing early, seeing early,eating early, pooping early... you get the idea. Everything she has done has been early. But, there are some things she hasn't done yet, like rolling over, crawling, walking, talking.... If we just went by her birthday (March 21st - mark your calendars!), she would probably reach many of these goals late. First, she would reach them late because her timer started almost 4 months early. Second, she would reach them late because she is having to overcome the trauma to her system caused by her premature birth. Rather than just hanging out waiting to be born, Micah has been fighting for her li

Micah is doing well today. It's amazing how long this journey has been. Tomorrow is her due date, which means she has been here 115 days already. Can you believe that? She was 115 days early! Micah is going back to 3 Mama feedings (not via tube) today. It has been a couple of weeks since she tried this, and it was too much without a quiet room to rest in. We are really hopeful that she will do well. This is a major use of her limited energy stores, but an obviously necessary goal. Micah has been off of all steroid supplements for over two weeks now. She seems to be doing well. They will wait either 2 more weeks or until we are about to leave (if that came earlier) to test her ability to create steroids under chemical stress. Micah weighs 6 pounds, 4.9 ounces. (She was 1 pound, 2 ounces at birth) She continues to grow slowly but steadily. Occasionally she drops an ounce or so, but there are so many factors in charting her weight, that the week to week picture is the only good

God is faithful. I appreciate that. Of course, as a Christian and a student of the Bible, I know that God is faithful. That is, I believe it. But, over the course of these weeks and months since Olivia was care flighted here from Abilene, where I was left standing on the curb waving goodbye,I have come to appreciate the faithfulness of God. Even this morning, in Ezekiel, YHWH is the faithful God who promises to restore adulterous Israel, though He says Israel had been worse than Sodom, seeking new ways to defile herself. He'd saved them from death on the trash heap as an infant, raised her, and clothed her with his beauty, but they grew proud in "beauty of your own" and forgotten the days of their youth. I don't want to forget where we have come from. Micah is doing really well, growing and improving slowly almost everyday. We will not be here forever, no matter how many more weeks we are here. We will go home. She will grow to be a toddler, and then a child,

A few years ago I ran a marathon. { 5 posts } I trained for more than 6 months, literally from couch to finish line. I started with 2 or 3 miles, and I'm not even sure I did it without walking. Using a schedule from Runner's World, i slowly built up my distance and my endurance. Each week I would run a little further, until I hit a crest, a long point. Then, I would drop back down a few miles and slowly build back up, eventually surpasing my old longest distance. It was gruelling work and seemed to take forever, but it got my across the finish line. I keep telling myself that Micah is on a similar journey. Last Monday (not yesterday), she had three big changes: Down on support, Up to 3/day on breastfeedings, and Off of steroids. That is where she crested. Micah did ok for a few days, she seemed to adjust. But, there is a lot of trial and retrial in the NICU, and after a few days we had to back off the 3 breastfeedings, back down to 2. 2 out of 3 changes stayed. Then, the da