Micah's Training

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 day before yesterday, the on-call doctor went back up on her pressure. Now, only one change stuck.

So, I keep telling Olivia, and myself, that Micah is in training. She reached a point where she needed to back off. But, it was right to try. She will do better later (perhaps today) when we reintroduce those changes. She will be strong and able to go further. This is not Micah's race, it is training for her race. It is important that she train well, but it is even more important that she finish well.

God has a plan for our little Ahava. She has a calling and a destiny, probably far greater than my own. (I am sure most parents think that, but others have heard the Lord telling us this.) God wants to use Micah, and for some reason, this season is necessary for that purpose.

Also in the news of our lives: Olivia and I celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary on September 1st. Well, "celebrated" might be too impressive a word. We did just about what we always do now, spending most of the day with Micah. The theme this year was either iron or candy. Since we have discovered that the hospital is (ironically) one of the hardest places in our culture to try to eat healthy, neither of us was interested in candy. So, we bought ourselves a pair of iron butterflies, the kind you use as accent pieces for woodwork, for handles, or in association with cast-iron stoves. They are too us a symbol of the strength and grace required of marriage and of our commitment to each other to have both.

September 1st was also our son Malachi's 6th "angel day." For those of you who do not know, Micah is not actually our first child. She is our 6th. Well, our 6th biologically (we also fostered 7 children and were almost able to adopt another). Micah Ahava Elise is the first child the Lord has blessed us to keep. Our others, including Malachi, are in His hands. Normally, we try to do something to remember our lost children on their birthdays (angel days). However, this year, with Micah here, it didn't seem like making it a big deal was appropriate. Don't misunderstand me: we miss Malachi. We've talked about him, mourned for him, and reminded each other that he is still real. We just kept it simple, more intimate, less outward.

We want Micah to know about her brothers and sisters. We want her to look forward to meeting them (as we do) in God's heaven. We will always remember them. But, our ministry now is Micah. Our calling now is to be her parents. Our job is to help her (or watch her her when we cannot help) train for the race God has set out before her. It will take both strength and grace. There will be ups and downs. But, there will also be a finish line.