Finally a New Post with Noah Pictures

These photos are from a recent outing to Manderach Playground in Limerick, PA.






These photos are from Noah's First Day at Sonshine Christian.








These photos are from Easter.



I apologize for such a delay in posting any new photos of Noah. Here are some of the most recent and funny. I hope you enjoy.

Noah's Dedication

Today is Father's Day. We had the opportunity to present Noah to the church and have a dedication ceremony. I was thankful to be able to give a testimony outlining some of the high points of God's provision in our lives over the past three years up to today. It was a wonderful time. Below is what I meant to say. I got the majority of it across, but left out a few things and added a thing or two some other places. To God be the glory...

Three years ago today, Missy and I sat down in front of a computer, clicked a button, and discovered that we would be moving to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. We were none-too-happy about that. After the dust settled from being shocked, displeased, etc., Jeremiah 29:11 came to mind: “’For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” That day, I began praying that God would provide a church for us here.

Roughly two years ago, Missy, Anna, and our two dogs set out on a 1,000 mile trek from Memphis to our new home in Havertown; I had to remain in Memphis for a few more weeks to finish up my residency. God still had a plan. Missy and Anna had been out exploring the restaurant scene, composed almost entirely of pizza, steak, and hoagie joints, when they noticed an advertisement for Vacation Bible School here. Missy told me about it and they decided they would check out the church. That same week, Missy was out mowing the yard when a man from across the street came over to introduce himself as Paul Browne. His wife, Nancy, later came over to tell Missy that they had been praying for us, before we ever arrived. She invited Missy to Grace Chapel.

We began coming to Grace Chapel and soon discovered that this was where God wanted us to be.

One year ago today, I was nearing the end of my first year of fellowship, which was a major milestone. We were not only thankful for being in Havertown, but felt we wouldn’t have been happier anywhere else. God had been faithful to do what was best for us, in spite of what we had thought two years before. Also, we were excited about the January 3^rd, 2008 due date of our second child.

Seven months and 15 days ago, Anna, Missy, and I paraded around our neighborhood and then stopped by the church to gather treats on Halloween. Everything was normal. Everyone was doing well. The next evening, a Thursday, we were having Praise Team practice. Missy had gone home because she didn’t feel well. Shortly afterward, Missy hobbled across the street in excruciating pain and asked Nancy Browne to drive her to the hospital. They stopped by the church long enough to tell me that they were going to the hospital and then roared off. If not for Nancy and Paul’s proximity and friendship, Nancy’s having been home at that time, and her little-known ability to race through the streets of Havertown, it is possible that Missy, Noah, or both could have bled to death that night. But God had a plan.

As a lot of you now know, Noah was born that night, November 1, 2007. He was two months early and was two pounds and 15 ounces when he rolled into the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, where he remained for 45 days, and would rack up a bill of approximately $600,000.

The following day, Missy had to return emergently to the operating room because overnight she had lost 2/3rds of her blood volume through internal bleeding. As I shared with you in our November 4^th service, I was gripped by my inability to do anything. I couldn’t pray for God’s will, because I was afraid it wouldn’t be what I wanted. I didn’t want to pray for my will, because I felt that was selfish. With all that was within me, I had to simply lay it at His feet.

In the days following that tumultuous time, God’s church overwhelmed us with His love. We can never thank you enough for your faithfulness and caring. We love you and are thankful for everything you have done for us.

Today, Missy and I bring Noah before the church for dedication to the Lord. Today, we celebrate the active intervention that God has made in Noah’s, as well as our lives. Our plans have been perfectly wrong. God’s plans have been perfect and He has been with us the whole way.

Happy Father's Day to everyone out there.

After a Long Hiatus

For those of you who have been diligently checking to see what the scoop is on Noah, I apologize for the extended leave of absence. We've been busy going about the daily activities of life and I have failed to take the time to update the blog. There are a number of you who have frequently reminded me of this shortcoming. Hopefully this entry will suffice to get everyone a bit caught up. I intend to include several pictures below.

Since last I wrote, Noah has had some ups and downs. He was having major difficulties with feedings and his weight gain began to decrease. He has been on treatment for reflux for a couple of months now and is doing much better. His weight gain has improved and he's growing well. He hasn't really made much headway in catching up on growth, but thankfully he's not failing to grow. He has been sleeping through the night for several weeks, a development that Missy is particularly thankful for. I'm am just now informed that Noah has made it into size 2 diapers... He's over 13 lbs now. Man, he's huge!

Anna has been doing well recently with Noah. She had some difficulty with frustrations and behavior for a bit, but that has settled out well. She has really taken a liking to being a big sister. It's been fabulous to watch.

Missy is doing well these days. She has recovered quite well and has set her sights on running the half marathon in San Francisco this August. She's going to be running that with her dear friend Kristen. It should be an awesome time. They get to run across the Golden Gate. It is going to be great for them.

Let me take this opportunity to put in a little tourism plug for San Francisco. If you haven't been, go. It's such an awesome place to visit. Everything there is so cool. I had the opportunity to spend five days there in May 2005 while I was at a meeting. It was fantastic.

Our church continues to be wonderfully supportive. We have continued to cultivate our friendships and enjoy spending time with all of our friends. We had an amazing concert on Holy Thursday. It was a practical rock spectacle (thinly veiled Barenaked Ladies reference). It was a blessed time.

My friend Ebrahim finished his residency in Memphis and has now moved up to Boston to be with his wife. He's excited because he will be starting at the Mass General Hospital (the most prestigious hospital in the country). The Lord is continuing to work in Ebrahim and I'm thankful to get to be witness to it.

I'm sure that there are a vast number of other things I could write about; however, I'm not sure what to put down. I will try, though I shan't vow, to get back into some routine of updating. I hope that everyone enjoys the pictures.

The ones of Noah are pretty straight forward, after all his activity list doesn't consist of a lot. I am including some of Anna at soccer and the recent Broomall carnival.

Thanks for your continued support and encouragement. Thank you for your continued prayers.

Please pray for the following:
Monty & Candy Howard, and their family
Guy, Mary, and their family
Ebrahim's walk with the Lord
Noah, and his big sister Anna, that they would come to know the Lord at a young age
Opportunities to be salt and light to others

Please thank God for (at least) the following:
His love, grace, faithfulness, and provision

"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior." Isaiah 43:2 & 3a

January 27th

I've been out of the blogging mode for quite a while. Missy entered the last note on the 17th, so I thought now would be a great time to put a little word in on Noah.

He is growing right along. I am quite sure that he is over 8 lbs now and is well on his way to 9. He recently has been having some issues with what I think is reflux. He has several signs that point to that and he has been having quite a bit of pain. We started him on Zantac last week to try to decrease the pain and he seems to be doing a little better. He continues to battle with it though.

Noah has a visit from the early intervention person tomorrow to evaluate his need for possible special services. This is based on how he is developing relative to what is normal for someone born as early as he was, etc. Based on what I've seen from him, I think he is unlikely to require services, but it is always worth evaluating.

Missy has really been having a rough go out of Noah lately. He is keeping her up a lot and then she either works the next day or stays home with Noah and Anna. She is the most amazing mommy/wife/woman I have ever known. I want to help her, but I feel like some sort of invalid. I have been doing as much with Anna as I can, but I feel like that hasn't helped that much.

I am about to start my ICU month on the 1st. That promises to decrease my time at home and make it that much more difficult for Miss. I will be working 80 hours/week and will be staying overnight at the hospital every 4th night. I have not been looking forward to the month and certainly don't want to burden Miss with more work. That's the unfortunate nature of the fellowship that I am undertaking.

Anna has been intermittently having issues. She seems to be regressing lately in the realm of bathroom habits. She has been much more whiney than she has ever been. She's fine when I get to take her to do something or if we are playing games. I am trying to do that as much as possible. She obviously has trouble when she's home all day and Miss has to tend to Noah the majority of the day. She's used to having Mommy all to herself, and it's taken a toll on her. We like to think that she is this mature little girl, but the fact is she's a little girl who wants mommy and daddy to dote over her. It's a hard situation.

My mom's eye has completely healed. I think she is already planning a trip up to see the grand kids in March or April.

Our friends Jim & Catherine Lewis are coming up this week. Jim has a conference that he is attending during the week, then they will be staying with us on Saturday and Sunday. We are certainly looking forward to having them.

Of note, God has provided someone to take care of Noah now that Missy has returned to work. Our friend Susie Camarote from Grace Chapel is staying with the squirt. We are so thankful for her. She does a great job with Noah. Also, if anyone is interested, her dad makes an awesome meat loaf.

Thanks for checking on Noah and Missy today.

Please pray for the following:
Guy, Mary, and their family
Ebrahim's walk with the Lord
Noah, and his big sister Anna, that they would come to know the Lord at a young age
God's continued working in the lives of our friends and family
Opportunities to be salt and light to others

Please thank God for (at least) the following:
His love, grace, faithfulness, and provision

"Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the LORD has been good to you."
Psalm 116:7

January 17, 2008

I realized it has been a while since we last blogged. Noah is doing great. At his pediatrician visit Monday , he tipped the scales at 7 lb 11 oz!! Closing in on 8 lbs is so exciting. He has been sleeping okay (not great). He is getting better about sleeping in his bassinet instead of his bouncer. Today I was playing with him and put some stuffed animals near him and he reached out to touch the tiger and puppy dog. He is making responsive facial expressions too. This morning around 10:30am I called his opthamologist to find out when his appointment was for tomorrow and I was quickly informed it was at 11:15 am TODAY! So Anna quickly changed out of her pj's and I threw on some presentable clothes and changed Noah's diaper and outfit and rushed out the door! We got great news... Noah doesn't have to go back for a check up for 3 months. We have been going every 2 weeks. His eyes are perfect the doctor said!

It snowed a good bit here today, at least from my view point. Any Havertown residents reading this are probably laughing at me right now. If there is enough to make snowballs, it is a good bit to me. Anna and I were the only ones sledding last year when we got around 2 inches though...we got alot of funny looks. She wanted to go sledding today but I have been under the weather and Noah isn't quite ready to head out on the sled just yet.

Tom went to Memphis this past weekend and had a good visit with friends as well as fulfilled his Air National Guard duties. My best friend from dental school, Kristen, flew up this past weekend and we had a really good time visiting. It had been almost a year since we had seen each other. She also helped me out greatly with the kids.

Thanks for continuing to check on us!

Please pray for the following:
Guy, Mary, and their family
Ebrahim's walk with the Lord
Noah, and his big sister Anna, that they would come to know the Lord at a young age
God's continued working in the lives of our friends and family
Opportunities to be salt and light to others


Please thank God for (at least) the following:
His love, grace, faithfulness, and provision

January 5th

Since the last entry was a week ago, happy new year to all who have been reading Noah's blog. I pray that all are well and looking forward to what lies ahead in the new year. A year ago, we had no idea what lay in store for us in 2007. At that time we weren't definitely aiming for a second child. Boy how things can change!

Noah has been doing quite well over the last week. He is gaining weight well. He went for his two month pediatrician visit on Thursday and tipped the scales at 6 lbs 13 oz. He also received his requisite vaccinations. He seemed to tolerate those fairly well. He visited the ophthalmologist again on Friday. He is progressing well, though his retinal arteries have not completely reached the periphery yet. I'm not really sure why he's going for follow-up visits with the character.

Noah has been sleeping a bit better the last couple of nights thanks to an anti-gas medication. He had really been wearing us out over the preceding week. Missy was taking the brunt of it, but as always she tolerated it like a champ. Anna, Noah, and I are extremely blessed and thankful for her.

Missy, as you might be able to tell, is doing fairly well these days. She is starting back to work and is hopeful to get Noah's child care sorted out. Her soreness continues to improve and her energy, when Noah isn't keeping her up all night, has improved.

Miss is looking forward to a visit from her very good friend Kristen. Missy & Kristen were classmates in dental school. Kristen and her husband, Justin, live in Blytheville, AR now. She is coming up on Thursday and will be here until Sunday. They are sure to have a great time. I won't be here for the visit really as I have to go to Memphis for a few days.

My mom's vision has improved and she is to return to work on Monday the 7th. The Lord has been so gracious to us in so many ways and I am certainly thankful for His healing there.

Thanks for checking on Noah and Missy today.

Please pray for the following:
Guy, Mary, and their family
Ebrahim's walk with the Lord
Noah, and his big sister Anna, that they would come to know the Lord at a young age
God's continued working in the lives of our friends and family
Opportunities to be salt and light to others
Someone to take care of Noah when Missy returns to work

Please thank God for (at least) the following:
His love, grace, faithfulness, and provision

"The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy."
Psalms 126:3