"How He Loves" - David Crowder Band

I've always liked the chorus of this song, but have never really heard or paid attention to the verses. This morning I was in the kitchen trying to figure out what to put in the slow cooker for supper, and in the background I heard "...Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree, bending beneath the weight of His wind and mercy." That captivated me and I had to hear the rest of the song. It's one of my new favorites. I think sometimes the statement "God loves me" becomes cliche. I forget to dive into what that really means and how He loves me...and how that love carries me...and how that love can eclipse the things of this world. Thanks for getting my attention this morning, Lord.

"How He Loves"

He is jealous for me, Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,

Bending beneath the weight of His wind and mercy.

When all of a sudden, I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,

And I realize just how beautiful You are,

And how great Your affections are for me.

And oh, how He loves us oh,

Oh how He loves us,

How He loves us all.

He is jealous for me, Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,

Bending beneath the weight of His wind and mercy.

When all of a sudden, I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,

And I realize just how beautiful You are,

And how great Your affections are for me.

And oh, how He loves us oh,

Oh how He loves us,

How He loves us all.

He loves us,

Oh how He loves us,

Oh how He loves us,

Oh how He loves.

And we are His portion and He is our prize,

Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes,

If His grace is an ocean, we're all sinking.

And Heaven meets earth like an unforeseen kiss,

And my heart turns violently inside of my chest,

I don't have time to maintain these regrets,

When I think about the way...

That He loves us,

Oh how He loves us,

Oh how He loves us,

Oh how He loves.

Yeah He loves us,

Oh how He loves us,

Oh how He loves us,

Oh how He loves.

Yeah He loves us,

Oh how He loves us,

Oh how He loves us,

Oh how He loves.

Swallow Study

This morning Judah had his deglutition - or swallow study for all of us normal, non-medical people:) This test was much better than the UGI from last week; however, that barium is nasty no matter how you give it, breastmilk and all! It confirmed that Judah is aspirating, and that is what the spot on his lung is - milk. He was even aspirating when they gave him the milk thickened to a nectar thickness, which is what we've been doing for the last 11 days. So, the immediate "fix" is thickening his milk and formula to a honey thickness. Ya, that's thick. That's also somewhat of a problem. It complicates the "system" that his special bottle uses. Jared & I now need more patience as we feed him. It takes longer, it's messy, and Judah is trying to get the timing of breathing & swallowing down with this consistency, meaning we get sprayed from his nose regularly! [I must say, though, that thickening his liquid has drastically improved his reflux - thank You, Jesus!!] We go back to Childrens for a Feeding Evaluation next week. I'll also be hearing from his pulmonologist next week (probably) about what he wants to do next. I'm anticipating that he and the ENT will want to do the scope to see why his anatomy (epiglottis primarily) is not working properly, causing the aspiration. But we'll see. Hopefully this honey thickness will do the trick for now, and he will no longer "feed his lungs".

Other than all this feeding drama... Judah's been doing great! He's so smiley and content to let anybody hold him. He definitely lets you know when he wants Mom back, though! As soon as I put him down on the floor or bed he's reaching for his toes and rolling from side to side. I'm so proud of him! Our new goal is to roll over before little cousin Avery;) Lately I've been trying to consciously take time to just enjoy Judah. Not think about therapeutic play, or what appointment is next...just play and enjoy him for who he is. He's so jolly and rewards the least of my efforts with big smiles & giggles. I'm so thankful for this precious little one that God entrusted to us. I'm humbled that God would create a little person so uniquely knit together, and then give him to me! I'm so inadequate, but reminded again and again that God has equipped me to do what He has called me to do. It's Christ in me that can walk in faith, seeing God accomplish and perform what He will in Judah's life, and in mine & my family's. This is so hard. Every day there's HARD, BUT GOD... Again I praise Him for His lovingkindness, His faithfulness, His grace, and His compassion.

My cousin, whom I love dearly & adore completely, sent me a letter today with a sweet interpretation of Psalm 50. David basically pours his heart out about his failures & what he's struggling with, how hard it is & how horrible it feels, and then he goes into his BUT GOD...

"And yet, O Lord, You have surrounded my life like a great fortress. There is nothing that can touch me save by Your loving permission. My faith will falter at times, but You will never fail me. Teach me, O God, how to live by Your Word and promises, to sing Your praises, to carry on within Your purposes in spite of these taunting, tempting enemies of my soul." [emphasis mine]

Happy Birthday!!

On February 18 I became an aunt again to niece number 6! While all of my nieces, and my 2 nephews, are very special to me, this new little beauty has something that makes her even more dear. Her name. Avery Bethany Bluhm. As my big brother put it, "...not Beth. Bethany, like her auntie." What an honor and a privilege. And after a year like the one that we've had, the blessing and encouragement it is to know that such a special little person was actually named after me is hard to put into words. Jared & I have given special family names to each of our kids as their middle names, honoring each of the people they're named after for different reasons; so to think that Dave & Vicki did the same for me, whatever their reasons (hint, hint I'd like to know!) means more than I can say.

Her name just kept running through my mind all day on Thursday. It was the first thing I thought of when I woke up on Friday. And each time I see it in print on Facebook or in an email, I can't help but smile.

Thanks so much, Dave & Vicki, for this gift.

Though Avery's name will always be extra special to me, I will continue to pray for each of my nieces and nephews like I now do for her. That they will know Jesus & choose Him at an early age. That God will protect them from this world and the harmful things it holds. That they will develop an insatiable hunger for the Word and for a deeper relationship with Him. And that God will allow into their lives that which will draw them into deeper intimacy with Him. Ultimately, that God's will alone will be accomplished in their lives, and that they will be reflections of the Son.

Upper GI Results

Judah had the Upper GI yesterday morning. It was awful. All around awful. It was horrible having to stand by helplessly trying to comfort him during the test while he cried nonstop for the entire 20-25 minute x-ray. I'm so glad that it's over, that he won't remember it, and that he won't ever have to have another one. We're praising the Lord that the results came back normal. The anatomy of Judah's esophagus, stomach, and small intestine is what it should be. Although I have to be honest. I'm somewhat disappointed. I know that sounds so sick, but to have gone through such an ordeal for a normal result is...disappointing. It's hard to explain. Of course I'm so relieved...I just wish we could have bypassed this whole thing.

Judah slept extra yesterday because he was so tired from the UGI, but this morning he woke up his normal jolly little self. Smiling. Happy to see me. Totally unaware of the emotional turmoil his mother went through with him just the day before! Sweet boy.

Thanks for praying for us. Nothing else on the calendar for this week - praise the Lord - and the swallow study on Monday. That's a big test that will give us the definitive answer as to whether or not Judah is aspirating...thankfully it will be an easy test for him to undergo.

Aerodigestive Clinic

I don't even feel like writing this. I've become so overwhelmed by all of this new medical information and all I'm behind on at home that I would much rather shut down and stop trying to deal with everything. Why bother when you're so behind that you have no hope of catching up? At least, it feels that way. And, sadly, where Judah's health is concerned, there's just no light at the end of the tunnel...no end in sight...no fix. Just more questions, more complications, more tests. Possibly more meds. Ugh. Yesterday was tough. I must say, though, that thanks to the little cleaning fairy that visited my house, a great parent/teacher conference, and dinner with best friends the day did end well. Thank You, Jesus. I know You orchestrated all of that for us.

Here's the run down from yesterday's clinic:
Feeding/Swallow Specialist - After watching Judah eat she determined that he was coughing too much, eating too loudly, and sounding too "gurgly". She talked to the docs and decided to try thickening his milk/formula. He took another 2 oz. that were thickened and the difference was immediate and amazing! No coughing, much quieter eating, seemed to go down much better. I didn't even realize he was that bad. I guess we just got used to it. Thickening is also supposed to help decrease spitting, but I haven't seen much improvement, if any, in that area yet. From now until his swallow study we need to thicken everything he eats; cereal in the formula and a special thickener for my milk.

GI Specialist - He gave us some good information about acid reflux. We got more of an education from him than anything else, but that was good. He wasn't sure that an Upper GI was necessary at this point. (That would show them the anatomy of Judah's stomach, spleen, liver, diaphragm, etc. I believe.)

Pulmonologist - This visit wasn't exactly encouraging. He was very nice, and I liked him; but the first thing he said was that he would actually use the x-rays of Judah's lungs in a text book to show what aspiration looks like. He said that doesn't mean he is aspirating, but it really looks like it. Hm. Because of that, & the severity of Judah's reflux, he & the GI dr. decided that an Upper GI was important at this time, along with the swallow study. So, if the Upper GI shows a funky (my word!) anatomy, then he will need to be put on another medication that will empty his stomach more quickly, keeping him from spitting so much. He would still stay on the Prevacid, though, to keep the acid level down. (Anyone else's mind spinning yet?) He sent us home with an inhaler to use if and when Judah gets another cough or begins having trouble breathing. [Judah officially has enough "stuff" now to take over an entire cupboard in my kitchen. Stinker.]

Dietitian - This was my favorite,because she confirmed (just like the dietitian at the CDC) that Judah is getting the calories he needs and he is a healthy weight. She recommended a multivitamin, and based on the GI's recommendation, encouraged us to have Judah weighed on their scale every couple of weeks for a little while to make sure his weight is stable. There are a lot of different factors that could effect his weight gain at this point. I get it. I don't like it, but I get it, and I'm thankful that at least they're not worried that he's not getting enough or something.

ENT specializing in aspirating - he gave us an education in the anatomy of the esophagus, larynx, vocal chords, and epiglottis that I really don't remember. We saw him last, and by that point I was having a hard time squeezing anything else into my already overloaded brain. He told us about a procedure that he would need to perform along with the pulmonologist and GI dr. if the swallow study shows that Judah is aspirating. Well, we don't know for sure that he is, so I'm not going there today.

Judah's swallow study was moved up to the 22nd, and his Upper GI is on the 15th. The next steps in this process hinge on the results of these 2 tests. I just kind of can't believe this is happening. I have a hard time wrapping my mind around the 2 diseases Judah has already been diagnosed with. Now to add all of this... An unbelievably complicated situation just got more complicated. It's like, this syndrome, this gene, this...thing, whatever it is that Judah has that caused all of this...it just went right down his middle and touched everything from head to toe. Nothing seems to be right. And how do I mesh this with my core belief that everything God does is right? Did God DO this, or did He just ALLOW it? I don't believe that He just allows babies to be created. I believe He's intimately involved in the creation of every person. His fingerprints are all over us! But did He just allow this part of Judah to happen...because pain and disease are a part of this world as a result of sin? But Judah is still created in the image of God. I don't know how to believe that God's plan, His purposes, His ways are perfect and good, and then see and experience everything with Judah that is so not good. I guess... I guess what I see and feel and experience and know to be true from my human perspective is secondary to what I know to be true about God. I have no idea how to mesh everything, but that just might not be possible given my incredibly small, finite mind. I guess regardless of what I perceive in all of this, I need to cling to my core beliefs and trust God to work everything out for His glory.

But, Lord, some answers and solutions would be nice. And a maid. I love You.

My Baby & Botox

Never thought I'd write that sentence! On Tuesday Judah had another follow-up with my favorite specialist, his pediatric ophthalmologist. Overall there's been some improvement. The patching that we do for 2 hrs. every day is working to preserve the vision in his left eye, and will hopefully enable him to avoid developing lazy eye. The muscle weakness that is in his left eye, however, has still not improved. This weakness does not allow him to bring his left eye to center; instead it's always being pulled to the left. So, sometime in March (don't have the exact date yet) Judah will undergo a procedure that will hopefully produce some positive, lasting results. The dr. will inject Botox into the eye just above the muscle. That will then relax the muscle, allowing his eye to move to the center. The effects of the procedure will peak at a month, at which time we'll go back for a follow-up; and then wear off completely at 3-4 months, at which time we'll go back for another follow-up. If the procedure is very successful, allowing the eye to move totally center, he may do the procedure again after the 4 mo. mark. If it's not very successful, then Judah will most likely need to have eye muscle surgery after the 4 months. Obviously we're praying that this injection produces great results and gives Judah the help he needs in that eye. If not, then I still believe that God is in control, and another surgery is part of His plan for Judah.

We also saw the plastic surgeon on Tuesday for another follow-up. He's very pleased with how the lip repair has healed - well, of course, Judah is too adorable for words!! We go back again in 3 months, and Lord willing, Judah will have his palate repair in 4-6 months.

There's been a lot going on lately. These last 2 weeks have been emotionally, physically, and mentally draining for me. We still have to get through the Aerodigestive clinic this afternoon & the 5 specialists we'll be seeing there. I'm so thankful for the amazing medical care that is available to Judah, and for the priority they give to his needs. But I'm tired. I'm behind on everything I need to do at home. I haven't spent quality time with my other 3 like I need to. I'm just barely being what Jared needs me to be. Actually, I might be below the barely...more like, not quite there. I keep wondering if there will come a time when all of the appointments, procedures, at-home "extras", and everything else will slow down. They have to. Eventually. This has just been a tough month. I can't wait for this weekend. An overnight family getaway, a hot Valentines date, and our weekly date night in. And I will force myself to put the dirty dishes, laundry to be washed, folded, and/or put away, floors that must be swept, furniture to be dusted, toys to be put away, bedrooms that need cleaning, and bathrooms that need a serious once (or twice) over out of my mind! There is fun in the pool, time to play at the children's museum, one-on-one with my soul mate, good food, and relaxation to be had!

After clinic.

The Super Bowl must be inspiring to my little champ because he reached another milestone during the game! I had him lying on the couch waiting for new pajamas, and he started kicking his feet more. Lo and behold, next time I looked at him he had found his feet...by himself...and he could reach and grab his toes!! Never thought I'd be celebrating an 8 month old finding his toes, but celebrate I will! Good job, Champ!!

A bit of Good News!

I got a call from our nurse at the CDC yesterday to confirm some follow-up appointments for Judah. She let me know that his urologist looked at his ultrasound results and said that there has been some improvement in Judah's kidney reflux. Because of the severity of his reflux, there's only a 5% chance that he'll outgrow it completely, so any improvement that does happen over the next 4 1/2 yrs. (the repair surgery will be at age 5) means that there's less to repair surgically. Yay!

News Flash: Judah just amazed me! I laid him down on Lydia's bed so I could help her in the bathroom. I had put his pacifier down next to him, although I'm not even sure where. I don't know if he could see it, or if he just felt it, but when I came back to get him he had the pacifier in his mouth and was holding it there with his hand! He also had his pinky in his mouth, too, which was so adorable. This is so big for him! Go Judah!!

Happy 8 Month Birthday, Judah!

Childrens Hospital Developmental Clinic (CDC)

Yesterday was another huge, exhausting day. There at 8 AM, home at 3:15 PM. It was good, though. We saw 8 different kinds of specialists and health care professionals. We didn't get a lot of questions answered, but we are on the right track to resolving some issues that center on feeding & Judah's lung. To recap...

Pediatrician/Nurse Practitioner - We saw the NP. She was very nice & very helpful. We reviewed Judah's history (and when I say that, I mean we went over every page of his own personal history book) and then focused on our main concern: weight. I've had so much pressure from his regular ped. about his weight/growth & eating. The endocrinologist, though, isn't concerned. So Jared & I haven't really been sure what to think. We're not concerned like the ped., but obviously Judah - weighing in at 12 lb. 9 1/2 oz. & 23" long yesterday - is tiny for an 8 mo. old. He's happy, content, & pretty healthy, so "failure to thrive" seems ridiculous to me; but I don't know how to advocate for him and respond to the pediatrician about all this. After talking with the NP extensively about all this, including a feeding log I've kept for Judah & our concerns about his acid reflux, she narrowed it down to her main concern. The spot on his lung, which could actually be aspirated milk. Judah may be a "silent aspirator" - a little kiddo who aspirates what he's eating without any outward show of it, i.e. infection, pneumonia, choking, problems swallowing. The first thing to do is rule that out. So, we now have an appointment next week at another multidisciplinary clinic at Childrens: the Aero-Digestive Clinic. There we'll be seeing a dietitian, a GI specialist, and a Pulmonologist. Judah will also need to undergo a swallow study to determine exactly where every bit of milk is going. Anyway, back to the CDC.

Dietitian - The NP went over everything we talked about with the dietitian, who then came to see us. She was very helpful as well. Based on Judah's size he is getting all the calories he needs. And, based on his length, he is in the 66th percentile for weight. Meaning, he's the perfect size for his complicatedly sick little self, and it has nothing to do with his age!! She also gave us some samples of new formula that would be gentler on his system. Bye bye high calorie, too rich, prescription Neo-Sure! So, with a gentler formula to supplement with, and a higher dosage of Prevacid prescribed by the NP, Judah's acid reflux should be under control again, and spitting will hopefully no longer be uncomfortable for him.

NeuroSurgeon - After reviewing Judah's history, this dr. basically said "Call if anything changes". Love it!

Neurologist - We didn't have to see the clinic's since we just saw another Childrens neurologist on Monday. Her recommendation was to come back in another 6 months and definitely keep our MRI appt. for June. At 1 yr. old, that will give them a much clearer picture of his brain & what parts are most effected by the way it developed inutero then what they got from the MRI after birth. She also said that Judah is very delayed and that's not a good sign. Really? Huh, I hadn't noticed. (Anyone pick up on the sarcasm?)

OT & PT - These were fun. We got some good encouragement about where Judah's at & what we're doing at home. Got some new ideas for exercises. They both recommended that PT become a part of his normal therapy soon.

Genetics - We always love seeing our geneticist! She's fun and honest and loves Judah and makes us laugh and she's tenacious and determined and doesn't give up! No news about the syndrome, though. She ordered a very sophisticated, not often done blood test when Judah had his surgery in December. She had high hopes for this one because Judah was such a good candidate for it. It came back normal. She has now determined that Judah's syndrome was caused by 1 - ONE - gene. There are 20,000 genes in every cell in the human body. Ya, good luck finding the little rebel! More than ever I believe that it will be God alone that makes this syndrome known. And since He pretty much works on a "need to know" basis, we just might never know. We talked about new things that have developed with him. And new finds, like a bifid 5th right rib. Never showed up on the skeletal survey, but the recent chest xrays showed that Judah's 5th rib on the right side actually splits off into 2. It's not broken, it was just fashioned that way. It's another part of Judah's uniqueness. We'll be seeing this specialist again in July when we go back to the Boys Town craniofacial clinic.

Urologist - This was another quick visit, but a good one. We really like this dr. He's gentle, kind, soft-spoken, and his excellent reputation and testimony precedes him. He examined Judah, reminded us that he needed an ultrasound of Judah's kidneys, bladder, and..."other" that day, and then said "See you in 3 months". (At 2:00 I took Judah to Radiology for that ultrasound. He has one every 3 months so the urologist and nephrologist can see what's happening in that area, and determine how he's developing and what kind of treatment he might require and when.)

Social Worker - This very nice lady just needed to make sure that we were handling everything ok, had everything we needed for Judah in the way of help and support, and answer any questions we might have. She didn't seem to be too worried about us though. Apparently our testimony precedes us as well. She said she had been told that we have a "spiritual background" and it sure does help to have a "Higher Power to call on in times like this". Well if that's not an open door I don't know what is! I told her that it's God grace that carries me through each day, and that His grace is perfect for whatever each day holds. That was a pretty short meeting, too, but a positive one.

So now we wait for the next clinic, and hopefully get some answers about Judah's feeding and lung questions. Didn't know we had questions like this until 2 days ago, but I'm thankful that we have a plan and a fast-approaching appt. The NP told us it was amazing that we got into that Aero-Digestive clinic so quickly. Ya, I think God is amazing, and He's the One that paves the way for His little lion.

Thanks for praying for us. Today I need strength & energy. I'm exhausted. BUT GOD... His strength is made perfect in my weakness, He lifts me up and enables me to soar, and His arms are the perfect place to find rest.

One more thing... Praise and Glory to the One who provided best friends and an Aunt & Uncle rolled into one who love our family and happily parade their "rent-a-kids" in downtown Omaha while we are with Judah!

Weren't we just here...?

Exactly 2 weeks after being admitted to Childrens for a virus, Judah was admitted for pneumonia. Tuesday was so wierd. Let me start from the beginning...

Judah woke up with raspy, heavy breathing and a cough. I wanted him to get a breathing treatment at the pediatrician's, so I called in. Of course I feared that another trip to the hospital was possible, but with Judah I have to be proactive. I was extremely disappointed & discouraged that this was happening on Lydia's birthday, but I knew that God was in control & had this day all mapped out for us. The ped. listened to Judah, did an RSV test, & checked his oxygen. He was at 89% - not too good. They quickly gave him a breathing/oxygen treatment, and ordered a chest xray. After his treatment his O2 was back to 100. By the time we got back from the chest xray his O2 was at 96. By the time the ped. came back with the xray results it was at 93. (This all happened within an hour.) The ped. said the tech saw pneumonia in his right lung. Since his O2 was holding over 90 at that point though, we could drive ourselves over to Childrens rather than taking an ambulance. (My, my wouldn't that have been exciting.) He needed to be closely observed over the next 24 hrs. at least. That's the 1st time I've cried on the pediatrician. I couldn't believe it! Seriously, Judah had been fine the day before. All I wanted was a breathing treatment! And on Lydia's birthday?! I felt some serious disappointment towards the Lord for a few minutes...until He graciously reminded me that He was in control, this was His good for today, His grace would carry me, His hand was on Judah, He loved us. Ok, Lord. We went to Childrens. Judah's O2 was 100%. He was smiling & cooing at the nurses. His breathing sounded better. (Like when you have a cold, and the worst part is in the morning, but then throughout the day you slowly clear up.) We went downstairs for another chest xray. Here's where the story starts getting happier. Judah has a "spot" on the upper lobe of his right lung. I believe it's been there since the NICU, but that hasn't been officially confirmed. However, when the drs. reviewed his xrays, they realized that his lung looks the same as it did in January. But if you've never seen his lung on xray before, like the tech at the ped's office, you could mistake it for pneumonia. So, long story short, Judah has a cold. A cold! We came home that evening with a nebulizer, prescriptions for ear drops and breathing medication (Albuterol), & a few more questions to ask the drs. at the Childrens Developmental Clinic that we could still go to on Wednesday. It was just a wierd day. But, thanks to some very dear friends, Jared & I, and a sleeping Judah got to enjoy dinner at Chili's while our other 3 played & and had pizza.

Happy Birthday, Lydia! I'm so glad I didn't have to miss the whole thing! And, thankfully, at 3, Lydia is still pretty forgiving about crazy days like this that happen to fall on her day.

And praise and glory to the One who did see me through that day, who brought us home within just a few hours of admit, and who continues to watch over & care for Judah intimately.

Quick Update

I can't believe it's been so long since I sat down here. I miss this "therapy" when I can't make it happen often enough. Although, it's a good sign when there's not much to write on a regualr basis. No news is good news, right?

Since Judah's discharge we've been to the pediatrician twice. He was finally put on another antibiotic for a lingering sinus-like infection. Though I wasn't at all excited about another round, and the side effects it would have on my sweet boy's little bottom, I was relieved that it helped Judah bounce back and get over all the "head cold" kind of stuff more quickly. And let the record show that Judah is now 12 lb. 1/4 oz!! Since he's not growing in length at all, he's just getting rounder:) Size 3-6, here we come...I hope!

We've had 2 therapy sessions recently, and both went well. It was the 2nd that I'm most excited about, though. Because of the strength that Judah has gained in his trunk and his progress with head control, she showed me a couple new ways we can play with him. Towards the end, I held out a little plastic doll. Judah immediately reached out, grabbed it, and brought it directly to his mouth! He repeated that about 3 times - definitely another milestone reached! Just yesterday when I had him on the bed to change his diaper he brought his knees up to his chest & kicked all by himself for the first time! Another milestone down - GO JUDAH!! Since he can now bring his knees up high enough, he rolls onto his side from his back often. We're on the road to rolling over:) These things are very exciting for us, and show that Judah is progressing; however, I wondered if there would come a point when we would have to be concerned about where he's at developmentally in relation to his age. Almost 8 months & still not rolling over, etc. I talked to his OT about it. I looove what she said! Without hesitation she said "No!" Basically, it doesn't matter where Judah is at. There is a developmental program for him at every age, and they will meet him and work with him where he's at, no matter what stage it might be. There's no calendar, no time frame, or limit. Just Judah and what he's capable of...and caring, helpful men & women committed to helping him reach his fullest potentail.

This week is another big one for us. Today, an appointment with the neurologist. Tomorrow, the plastic surgeon. And Wednesday, a visit to the Childrens' Hospital Developmental Clinic from 8-12ish. At the time Judah was born this clinic had a 6 mo. waiting list, and there are certain requirements a child has to meet to be involved. So, when he was discharged from the NICU they put him on the list, assuming that he would qualify. 6+ months later here we are, eagerly anticipating this Wed. morning. Judah will be seen by several specialists, including his urologist, nephrologist, and genetics specialist. We're also eager to meet with the GI specialists. We have lots of questions for each of these specialists, and we're praying for some answers.

God continues to meet our daily needs. Emotional, physical, spiritual, financial. He's so gracious and generous. So good. So merciful. So faithful. We are truly privileged to know Him and serve Him. I can't help but be so thankful to Him when I look at my darling boy's little face. That God would design and expertly knit Judah together for His glory and our enjoyment is beyond my comprehension. He is such a gift, just as our other 3 are! I'm a tired Mama, but it's the tired that comes from being happily busy caring for my beautiful family. To put it mildly, I am blessed.