Daddy's Girl

And to think I was worried about whether Amelia would still have any family resemblance after the surgery...

Two Weeks Post Op

Today I took Amelia back to the hospital for her two week post-op visit. It felt like we had come full circle because we were seeing Dr. Van Aalst in the same exam room we were in for the pre-op appointment exactly two weeks ago. Both Dr. Perry (neuro) and Dr. Van Aalst said she looks great (and we agree)! Brian and I were a little concerned because there appear to be some bulging contours on either side of her forhead, but both doctors explained that those are actually the edges of the skull plates that were moved and there is a space there where the bone will re-grow and eventually connect with the other plate further back on the side of her head. Sounds a little strange, but Dr. Van Aalst said it was left this way in order for her brain be "directing" the growth of her skull and not vice versa. We'll be back to see both doctors again in two months, and Amelia will also have a CT scan scheduled for 6 months post-op.

As for Miss A, she was not at all excited about seeing anyone in scrubs or white coats, no matter how friendly they seemed. She is completely off her pain meds (although we still give her Tylenol now and then--mostly because she is cutting THREE new teeth on top!) and pretty much back to her "normal" self. Her hair is sporting the "wet look" due to the bacitracin we have been putting on her incision (which we can stop as of today) and her incision is already blending in with her hair quite nicely.

Here are a few more pics from her two-week photo shoot. :)

Prettier by the minute

It has been incredible to witness the transformation in Amelia over the past few days since we came home. It seems like every hour she looks more beautiful and more like herself--although, as Mya observed, "Her head used to look like an oval, now it looks like a circle." ;)

Since we've been home Amelia's favorite place has been in Mommy's arms, and today is the first time she has taken a nap in her crib lasting more than 20 minutes. She has been through a lot, and this is definitely a readjustment period. I had to laugh yesterday though, when I realized that even with the help of Brian, my in-laws and my mom--which I figured worked out to be the equivalent of a housekeeper, a nanny, a personal shopper, and a cook--I STILL never managed to get a nap! That's okay with me though, there's nothing I'd rather be doing right now than holding little Miss Amelia in my arms.

As I think back on the past several days at the hospital, there are moments when I am still somewhat disturbed at the thought of all that Amelia endured during the surgery and just how disfigured she was with the swelling afterward. At the same time I am reminded of how faithful the Lord was to His promise to be with us, and how intimately we felt His presence during that difficult time. Again, Brian and I are inexpressibly grateful for all of you who surrounded us in love and prayers.

Today as took all these emotions to the Lord I felt Him reminding me that so often the kind of healing we need begins with brokenness and the process itself may be disfiguring. He brought to mind the suffering of Christ and the pain and disfigurement He endured for OUR healing to be complete. Isaiah 53 Surely He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows...and by His wounds we are healed.

Most of all though, my heart is just so full of joy to see the surgery completed and Amelia recovering so well.

Psalm 103
Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being praise his holy name.
Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits--
who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
who satisfies your desires with good things

As Brian keeps saying, "We are so blessed!"

Amelia at Home

Here are some pictures of Amelia's afternoon at home with our family. Too tired to write much, but the pictures speak for themselves: We have our sweet girl back! :) Drs. said the general swelling that remains around her head will be completely gone in a week to ten days.

Home Soon

Well, we're on our approach to land home sometime this afternoon. The swelling has continued to subside and we're seeing just a little bit more of Amelia's beautiful eyes. Wes and I managed to give her a quick sponge bath - which she was not enamored with - and now we're waiting for her to finish her nap before final items are put in order for her discharge. As you can see in the pic, she's managed to find that smile when she's feeling OK which thrills us!

We are so grateful for our family and many friends who have walked with us so closely through this. As we've walked the halls both of the PICU and Peds ward and seen the many other children and families who may not have anticipated being here, we are reminded of the gift of community during difficult times. Thank you for bearing this burden with us. We pray that other kids and their families receive the same gift of healing and wholeness as we have experienced.

As you pray, we'd also ask that you pray for Amelia's transition with Mya and Owen. We're quite sure they will be thrilled to see her, but she does look a bit different and has some nice stiches on her head. Please also pray for Wesley in particular to get the much needed rest she needs.

We'll send out one or two more posts in the days to come and then some later given her follow ups with the doctors here...

Just a little peek

Earlier tonight Amelia was able to open her left eye! It was just a little bit--enough to recognize Mommy and Daddy making faces at her and respond with a quick grin. Brian said she also caught a giimpse of Monday night football which he had on mute. :) Her right eye was only able to open a tiny slit, but trying so hard! She has had more moments of pleasant wakefulness--cuddling with Mommy, being kissed and tickled by Daddy, holding on to her little silver rattle, and finding comfort from nursing. Afterward she gets cranky and it takes a good bit of effort to get her to settle down for a nap. (She also weighs so much more right now because of her swelling that Wesley should have some serious "guns" by the time she goes home).

Praises from today:
- congestion has tapered off
- swelling has decreased some
- eyes can peek!

I would write more but I am literally falling asleep whie I type...

Unwrapped

The plastics team (including Dr. Van Aalst) visited Amelia this morning and removed her head wrap. Her incision looks like a wavy train track that goes on the top of her head from one ear to the other. She had a pretty good night, nursed well a few times and was only needing Tylenol. She even started doing some of her normal "Amelia" things like sucking her thumb, and with the swelling starting to go down just a bit, she looks slightly more like herself. Dr. Van Aalst said she might possibly be able to go home tomorrow, but I definitely don't want to rush it. He said we should start to see marked differences in the swelling in half day incriments today and tomorrow.

On the down side, her tummy has been very bloated which they are saying is caused by a build up of gas (most likely due to the antibiotics) and this morning she has some nasal congestion which makes it hard for her to nurse or suck her thumb or paci. She was pretty upset either about that or maybe still in some pain so we gave her some Oxycodone this morning. She finally settled down a few minutes ago.

Prayer requests for Amelia today:
-For the congestion to clear so she can breathe, eat and be comforted
-For her gas to subside and her tummy to feel better
-For appropriate pain meds (not too much, not too little)
-For the swelling to subside everywhere and her eyes to open!
-For God to continue healing her in every way from this ordeal

Thank you all for your continued prayers for Amelia. We are so touched by your love for her and your encouragement.

A Room with a View

Amelia was moved up five floors to the regular peds floor around 5 p.m. She's seems to be doing well on less meds--still resting comfortably, and she even nursed a while ago. Some of the swelling around her eyes has moved down to the lower part of her face, but she still can't open them yet. I also now have some "sympathy swelling" in my ankles and feet as only a mother can. :)

I'm feeling pretty exhausted and a bit overwhelmed without the help of the wonderful people in the PICU--so Brian decided to make a bed of blankets on the floor and stay here with us tonight. What a great dad.

She's stirring, better sign off now.

Resting

After the breathing ordeal last night Amelia continued to have a some "stridor" in her breathing this morning (it sounded like a little gasp/squeak at the end of each breath). Right now, she is resting and her breathing has quieted--a very tangible answer to prayer! She has been sleeping a lot, probably due to the frequent doses of morphine she was getting yesterday and last night. The doctors who evaluated her this morning said they'd like to see her more awake, so they are cutting back on the morphine and giving her Tylenol and Oxycodone (sp?) which is also a narcotic but apparently not a strong. It is tricky to figure out how to give someone her age just enough pain meds without over-medicating. She has had two wakeful times this morning during which she took some small bottles of breast milk, the rest of the time she has been asleep.

I think overall Amelia probably feels lousy, but she seems to be comforted quickly by our voices and our touch. She doesn't seem afraid, just really really grumpy. The swelling in her face (and all over) has increased, which I know is hard to imagine, but Dr. Van Aalst assures us that today is the peak day for that and tomorrow we should start to see the swelling go down.

Thank you for praying for her breathing specifically. Please continue to pray that her airway remains open and also that the doctors/nurses can decide on what and how much medication to give her so that she will be more wakeful, but not hurting.

Lastly, please pray for her to breastfeed soon. We've tried a few times, but she is so mad when she's awake that she has actually bitten me twice (ouch!), so I am pumping and giving it to her in little bottles. I'm hoping as the swelling goes down in the days to come she will be more relaxed and feel more "normal" about it. And pray that if at all possible she/we will not develop a thrush infection as a biproduct of the antibiotics she is currently taking.

Mostly just pray for Amelia (and us) to endure these tiring days. We are grateful that her healing has already begun and looking forward to getting over the "peak" tomorrow.

Just Breathe

While I was holding Amelia a little while ago, her airway became even more constricted and she started to turn blue. Her night nurse (Olivia) was already here with me and she and the respiratory team acted quickly to give Amelia oxygen and her color returned. They then gave her two breathing treatments to try to open up her airway.

Since she needs to focus on breathing and is not showing much interest in eating, we're going to try leaving her in the bed and soothing her there next time she wakes. Her lungs are fine, but it's her upper airway that is constricted. Right now she is just swollen all over from the trauma of the surgery. When I pick her up she feels so heavy and puffy. If her airway looks anything like her face right now, I can understand why it would be difficult to breathe! There is a chance if her breathing gets worse that they'd have to intubate her again which would be hard, but not as hard as not breathing.

As you read this please take a moment to pray for Amelia's breathing--Praise God for His peace which allowed both Amelia and her Mommy to stay relatively calm through all of this. Pray that the swelling in her upper airway would decrease and allow her to take big healthy breaths.

Afternoon Update

Thank you everyone for reading, praying and for sending your comments and emails. Your words of encouragement are really helping us through this experience. We feel surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses reminding us constantly of God's power, strength and care.

Amelia has had some more peaceful naps lasting hour or two. It was sort of funny earlier today because she was moving her arms and legs but her eyes were still shut, so we just thought she was moving around in her sleep. Then we remembered that she couldn't open her eyes and realized that she was actually awake! She rested in my arms a few times, although she didn't nurse, and Brian also held her for a few minutes. She did drink some breastmilk from a bottle a little while ago. The nursing staff seems to be staying on top of her meds so that the pain "doesn't get ahead of her" as it did last night. All of our nurses have been wonderful with Amelia and we are so grateful for that. When she is awake, Amelia is fussy and uncomfortable, so we spend a lot of time singing and talking to her and generally trying to keep her calm.

Dr. Van Aalst stopped by and said that, although last night was rough that is not uncommon after this type of procedure, and she appears to be doing fine medically speaking. He said she could possibly move up to the regular peds floor tonight. She is still having some difficulty breathing and had one breathing treatment, so moving makes me a bit anxious, but we'll see how things go. If they need the PICU beds for more critical patients, they will send us on our way. Dr. Van Aalst was encouraging us by saying we will have much more freedom to hold Amelia and snuggle with her once we are on the regular peds floor. He also reminded us that the swelling will likely get worse tomorrow and not start to decrease until Monday. :( It's already pretty bad, poor thing.

Thanks for continuing to lift up Amelia and our family in prayer. You can also say a prayer for Brian's mom (Nancy) who is now at home with Mya and Owen. My mom visited us here at the hospital today and my dad and Elly will be coming by later.

That's all for now. Love to everyone. Thank you again for being with us on this journey. -Wes

Picture from the PICU

We debated whether or not to put this picture out there as it might be unsettling to some of you (we have sort of gotten used to seeing Amelia look like this since yesterday). Brian said, "She just looks like she's got on a lot of eye shadow and a bonnet." Her eyes have swollen shut which means when she wakes up she will probably be really mad and may get agitated again. Pray that she can settle down enough to really nurse when she wakes up. That will help to comfort her as well as fill her hungry belly.

The fact that I (Wesley) am posting means that she has settled down for the moment. Her breathing is still a little labored, but some of the meds they have given her have allowed her to calm down and sleep a bit. I also got to take a shower, if you can believe that. ;)

Please let Brian's previous post and this picture inform your prayers for Amelia today. The nurse said she will be in the PICU for another 24 hours because last night was so rough. We're fine with that because there is a 2:1 nurse to patient ratio here. Also the "Grey's Anatomy" types just made their rounds this morning, discussing Miss Amelia's case. :)

Thank you for all your prayers. The nearness of Jesus to us in these moments is very tangible. The hymn playing right now reminds me...

Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face
And the things of earth will turn strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace

We could never endure this, Amelia could never endure this without Jesus.

Early Morning Update

Amelia is OK, but it hasn't been a perfect night... heart rate has been a bit high and she also has had bouts of wrestling and crying... probably a wide combination of discomfort, hunger, swelling, and not being in her typical environment. The crying and earlier irritation from her breathing tube has likely caused some inflammation in her throat, so she's having some raspy, labored breathing. She certainly quieted down after a low dose of sedatives, but the physician is not inclined to do more on that front because she really was konked out. Wesley is holding her and singing quietly right now, which is working well. Amelia's facial swelling has increased a good bit too, which is to be expected. Please pray this morning:

a. that the staff would best determine how to layer in the meds
b. that Amelia's throat would clear
c. that her heart rate would come down a bit
d. that she would settle and get good rest
e. that she would begin to nurse at the right time
f. for us to keep persevering; I had a little under 4 hrs. of sleep and Wes had about 1.5 hrs.

Isaiah 40 has been a comfort to me between 4 and 6am this morning. Verse 11 in particular reminds me/us:

"He tends his flock like a shepherd; He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart; He gently leads those who have young."

Jesus has, without a doubt, been our gentle Shepherd.

BW

Unrest

So far this night has not been as restful as we'd hoped. Amelia is having some pain, even with pain meds, and her heart rate is a bit high. She was able to nurse earlier tonight for a while which calmed her down, but she has been unsettled for the past hour or so. They have just given her a small dose of a sedative to help her cal m down. This is hard. Please continue to pray for the peace of Christ to be on and over her. Pray for rest for us all. Thanks.

In the PICU

Amelia just got moved to the PICU where she has a private room and at the moment we are both allowed to be here with her. She is resting relatively peacefully although sometimes she makes a tiny cry. She has a lot of monitors going and every now and then one of them goes "BONG" really loudly which alerts the nurses if something is higher than normal--then whatever it is usually goes back to normal on its own. Our nurse right now is named Rebecca, and she was very informative and helpful about explaining everything and even got us something to drink.

Right now we are listening to a harp CD of hymns that my dad gave us by a woman who plays "theraputic music" in the hospital where he used to work. It is definitley creating a peaceful environment for us and, although her ears are relatively covered by her bandages, we hope it is soothing to Amelia.

The gauze netting that goes around Amelia's head wrap and down around her neck makes her look somewhat regal. Even though she is starting to have some swelling, we think she looks so beautiful!

The night nurse just came on duty and a doctor also came and checked her out. She seems to be doing as well as can be expected. She has a little fever which is common after these surgeries. She was also crying a little more so they are giving her some more pain meds. The doctor said the hope is for a restful night, then for her to become more awake and be able to breastfeed tomorrow and be moved to the regular peds floor if all is going well.

Please pray for a peaceful night for all of us and healing for our sweet girl.

Update from Brian

Hi folks, it's been wonderful to receive your messages throughout the day and know that you are journeying with us. Thank you.

As Wes suggested, this is the tough part right now as we're feeling slightly helpless. The nurse commented that she would like to see Amelia wake up a bit more at this point, though the anesthesiologist suggested her vitals are fine. It's slightly unclear if the pain meds and how they are delivering them might be contributing to this. Neurosurgery folks will drop by within the half hour to assess her. We are just eager to see her move to the PICU with a good report. Would you please pray that we would get out of the way when we need to, ask the right questions and press when we need to, and never forget to lean into the Lord?

Thank you for continuing to pray with us. This is the real work, isn't it? Many times it feels like prayer is something we conjure up to make ourselves feel better... but increasingly we are learning that prayer puts us in the right posture to "let God be God": one that includes waiting, trusting, honesty, and hope in and with our God who is good and sovereign.

We'll keep posting as things progress...

BW

4:20 pm In the PACU

I just finally got to go back and see Amelia, and Brian is with her for the first time right now. She is in the post surgery area, and waiting for a bed in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. I'm not fully sure what PACU stands for (post-surgical ??? unit) but that's where she is.

Seeing her was the most emotional part of this day yet. She has a big head wrap (of course) and her face has already started to swell somewhat. She has a lot of "lines" and some of them are in her lower abdomen and one in her chest (this probably has something to do with the difficulty they had putting them in). She also has a catheter because they want to monitor her fluids/swelling. Can't see much of her head but her forhead looks flatter and she definitely looks "different" which is also partly because of the swelling. She cried out while I was there which was troubling, but the nurse took that as a cue to start her post-surgical pain meds. The nurse, Janine, said the will move her to the PICU as soon as there is a bed available. She will be there for a day or two, then on to the pediatric floor.

Dr. Van Aalst said the swelling is the hardest part for everyone, (her eyes will llkely swell shut), and it will increase over the next day or two, then get better.

I am not discouraged--it was great (and also surreal) to see her post-op, but it was also sobering to realize that she (and her parents) have a rough few days ahead. Please rejoice with us and continue to lift us all up before the Lord.

Brian is back. I'm off to see her again. They said one of us can stay with her at all times now so we'll do shifts...

All Finished!

3:20pm Dr. Van Aalst just came out and told us she is all finished and it went very smoothly. She is in recovery and we will be able to go see her soon (one of us at a time). Thanks for praying us through the waiting and Amelia through the surgery. We'll keep you posted on her recovery today and over the coming days. Praise God for His great care for Amelia!

1:15 p.m.

There is a phone in the waiting room that the nurses in the O.R. use to update families. It rings REALLY LOUDLY and there is always the suspense of WHO IS IT FOR? Also, there are nurses and doctors coming and going from the O.R. area to talk to families who are waiting and they sort of burst out of the doors looking---and we keep wondering, is this for us??? We need to eat lunch, but my stomach is jumping every time one of these things happens!

Finally a few minutes ago OUR nurse called from the O.R. to report that Dr. Perry had finished removing the bones and that now Dr. Van Aalst (craniofacial surgeon) is working on reshaping them. They said Amelia is doing fine, and we have to take their word for it. Praise God for the safe completion of this first part of the procedure...the rest could take up to another 3 hours. Very delicate work. We'll update when we have anything to report....

Noon Update

About 11 o'clock we called the nurse to see if they had any info on Amelia and they said it had taken them a long time to get the lines in (for anesthesia) and that the surgery itself was really just getting started. Not sure why it took so long except for chubby arms and tiny veins...but they assured us that she is doing fine. She was just taking a really long nap (head intact) while all of that was going on. As I'm typing we just got a call from the OR nurse saying that they are about an hour into the surgery and that she is doing great. Thanks for the prayers and notes as we wait...

From the waiting room...

Yay! We have internet access in the waiting room!

Just a brief update. The anesthesiologists took Amelia back to the O.R. about ten til eight. She had fallen asleep in Mommy's arms in the pre-surgery waiting area and was still groggy so she didn't cry at all!

Prayer Requests for Amelia's Surgery

After the excitement of finding out today, Brian and I looked at each other and said, "Wait a minute. Why are we so excited about our baby having her head cut open?" This is a BIG DEAL and we covet your prayers.

We're heading to the hospital tomorrow morning at 6:30 a.m. and the surgery is scheduled for 7:30. Dr. Van Aalst is the craniofacial surgeon and Dr. Perry is the pediatric neurosurgeon. The surgery should last 4-5 hours. My mom will be home with Mya and Owen and Brian's parents will wait it out with us at the hospital.

Here is a general description of the surgery tomorrow (from a pamphlet about craniosynostosis)

The surgical technique for correcting the problem varies with the
type of craniosynostosis, but all have certain things in common.
Surgery is only considered for these children after a pediatrician,
trained in this field, certifies the child can tolerate the anesthesia
and the operation. One of the greatest risks to the child comes from
the general anesthetic. It is necessary for an anesthesiologist, well
experienced in this type of surgery in young children, to be present
during the entire procedure. The surgery is usually performed by two
specialists working together. One is a craniofacial surgeon and the
other is a pediatric neurosurgeon. The craniofacial surgeon is a
plastic surgeon who has received additional training in pediatric
craniofacial surgery. It is common for an incision to be made in the
hair from one ear to the other ear, across the top of the head. This is
usually the only scar from surgery. The hair usually hides the scar.
After this incision is made, the neurosurgeon removes the affected
areas of the skull and forehead. The craniofacial surgeon reshapes
these bones and returns them to a normal position. Once the
procedure is finished, the incision is closed usually with dissolving
sutures. The child is then taken to the pediatric intensive care unit.
The routine is different among the various centers. Children
typically spend the first night or two in the intensive care unit. They
then go to the regular pediatric floor. Children are normally sent
home on the third to fifth day following surgery. Generally, children
experience only minor discomfort from this operation. There is little
pain from the cutting of skull bone. By the second day after surgery,
most children need nothing more than Tylenol. It is also common for
both eyes to swell shut for about three days after surgery. Not being
able to open one’s eyes annoys the child the most. After the child is
discharged from the hospital, the family may be asked to stay in the
area for another few days before returning home. This allows the
treating doctors to make sure there is a good chance that there will
be no major complications. Between six weeks to three months after
surgery, the child returns for follow-up visits. The surgeon usually
sees the child once a year thereafter.


Here are some specific ways you can pray for Amelia tomorrow (these are cut and pasted from last time):

--That Amelia will respond well to the anesthesia.
--That the surgeons will use great skill and be completely focused on Amelia during the various stages of the surgery and that there would be no unexpected complications.
--That her body would respond well to the surgery and begin the healing process immediately.
--That the pain medications would work appropriately.
--That as she begins to wake up from the surgery she would not feel panicked or afraid, but that the Holy Spirit would envelop her and cradle her, especially when we can't.
--That when her eyes are swollen shut in the days that follow that she would be comforted by our voices, our touch, and our scents.
--That we would experience the comfort and presence of Jesus throughout all of this.

Lastly, Amelia has been experiencing a lot of "stranger anxiety" recently and today she was very skeptical and downright afraid of the doctors and nurses at the hospital during the pre-op. Pray for peace within her little being and comfort from her parents but also from Jesus himself. Also pray for her parents not to be traumatized by letting her go into the O.R. if she is upset about it.

Thanks for reading, praying and loving our family through this!

Surgery is ON for tomorrow!

Whew! What a morning it's been...

Got a call from the scheduler this morning just as I was about to take Owen's first day of school pictures. (Nice timing!) She told me the verdict for tomorrow is a NO. I took a deep breath (I had prepared myself for this) and reiterated that we would just set our sights on Oct 5th. She then hit me with the fact that actually neurosurgery had NOT saved that date and so we have no OR availability. No date.

I took the kids to school where and afterwards I shed some tears and prayed with some friends there at the school. (Thank you for them, Lord).

Came home. Fed Amela. Made some phone calls, trying to figure out how this all happened and how we can get a new date... I started typing the update for the blog... :( The phone rings and it's Kelly (that's the OR scheduler's name). She's laughing and says, "Wesley, I don't know what you did, but Amelia is back on for tomorrow!" She told us to bring her in for a pre-op this afternoon at 2.

As I am typing...Kelly calls to tell me more good news: Amelia is going to be the first case, 7:30 a.m. tomorrow.

We'll update with more specifics tonight after her pre-op... YAY!!!

Update 12:30 What really happened... I just spoke with Susan, Dr. Perry's nurse (pediatric neurosurgeon). Dr Perry's case for tomorrow was cancelled due to an infection in that child. This opened up the O.R. and made him available to do Amelia's case! While we rejoice at an opening for Amelia, we also pray for that family as we know firsthand the disappointment they are feeling right now.

"Not looking good"

I called the O.R. scheduler a few minutes ago just to ask if she had any sense for whether Amelia's surgery would NOT be happening on Friday. (I would have restrained myself from calling, except my mom is flying up tomorrow and I wanted to let her know if she should still come.) So her answer was that she really won't know until Thursday morning. Then she said, "I can tell you this: it's not looking good. But I'm doing the best I can."

So what your telling me is that it probably won't happen, but there's a chance it will?
Unlikely, but still possible?
We're not closing the book on this one yet?
Never say never?

Pretty much.

There are plenty of stories in the Bible when something that was UNLIKELY to happen happened because of the power of God. And there are plenty of stories where God allowed things to happen and did not intervene.

That brings me back to the question of how I should pray when things are "not looking good". All I can come up with is "Lord, help me to trust you." Is it ill-advised to hope for what we want in a situation like this? I don't think so. Do I have a right to be disappointed if what is "unlikely" doesn't happen? Not really. Can I take all of this to the throne of God? Yes!

So please, as you wonder with us over the next few days what is or isn't going to happen on Friday, just take it to God. Carry Amelia before His throne and pray as you feel led. Your prayers mean SO MUCH to us in the midst of this uncertainty.

And while you're prayin', say one for Amelia's big sister and brother too! Mya's first day of kindergarten is tomorrow and Owen will have his first day of preschool on Thursday. Whatever happens with Amelia, it's a big week around here! :)

Love to all. I won't post again until I have an answer.

Six Months Old Today

Amelia's six month birthday is today! She is happy as can be--except when she's bothered by the two teeth about to come in on top. She is becoming more and more interactive with her big brother and sister, and she immediately looks for them when she hears their voices (which can make her really distracted while she is nursing). She has also become more adept at rolling over, so now we find her in all kinds of unique sleeping positions after her naps. She is working on sitting up and Mya and Owen roll with laughter when she tips over. She brings so much joy to our family!

We are hoping the surgery will be a go for this Friday, the 7th, and we'll update the blog as soon as we know for sure.