Christmas Pictures

December 30th

After a few days of Christmas cheer and family visits, I thought it would be a good idea to update everyone on what's going on around our household. Missy's dad, step-mom, and step-brother came up from Mobile to visit with us. They were here from the 24th until the 27th. We had a great time and it was wonderful to have "family Christmas" at our house. Anna certainly enjoyed the visit from her Poppa.

Noah has really taken off when it comes to eating. Over the last couple of days or so he has shifted into a higher gear and is really getting the job done. He is supposed to be taking about 3 oz every 4 hours. He's been doing 3 oz every 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Yesterday, he had one hiatus that only lasted an hour and a half. Obviously this is a rather tiring schedule, especially for Missy since she is doing the large majority of the feedings, but he is growing and doing great. We weighed him on some scales that we had purchased when Anna was a baby. Noah weighed in at a whopping 6 lbs 2 oz! He's enormous... His face really is starting to fill out. Miss is hoping that he will add some to his rump area because there isn't much there.

Noah has been quite alert and looking about. He has a new activity mat courtesy of his great grandmother and great aunt. It is jungle themed and he loves it. He is able to turn his head from side-to-side. Considering that yesterday was his actual due date, that's not bad. He hasn't exhibited any sorts of delays that I can tell so far. We will keep working with him and I suspect that the little man will meet milestones in a normal fashion. Praise the Lord for His continued intervention in the life of Noah.

Missy is doing pretty well. As you might imagine, she is tired from Noah's feeding regimen. Other than that, her spirits seem to be pretty good. She is going to be returning to work on Wednesday. I think that she's looking forward to that just as a means of getting out of the house. She had considered going to the worship service this morning and just sitting in the back with Noah. She was concerned of being bombarded by everyone who would no doubt be ecstatic to see her and the squirt. Maybe next week...

Anna had been doing well with everything, but it seems we have had a rough few days of late. I think that the Christmas time visit put a good amount of attention on her and she liked that. Now, she's whining a lot about all sorts of things that I can't seem to follow. It seems like just about anything makes her erupt into tears. I pray that she will be able to come out of it soon. I know it's tough for her, but we feel like we can't do everything she wants because it only serves to exacerbate the whole issue.

Anna and I did make a trip over to the Herr's Snack Food factory on Thursday. She enjoyed that (I did too). It was neat to see all of the machinery for the various chip products. We even got to try some chips right off of the line. They were warm and quite tasty.

My voice has almost returned to normal as far as speaking is concerned. The lower register of my singing voice is back, but the upper register may be a couple of weeks yet. I'll be glad when it comes back because we've gotta start working on our Easter concert. Also, I got Missy the new Mercy Me cd with "God With Us" on it. I can't wait to get my voice back so that I can sing that tune in the car. It rocks.

Recently, I have been emailing with my friend Guy. He served as an international missionary with his wife and four children from about 1998 until 2006. He is a photographer, a very talented one. For lack of an easy expression of the circumstances that transpired, Guy found out last year that his contract as a missionary wasn't being renewed and he and his family had to return to the States. Since returning, Guy and Mary have had quite a hard time with finances as he hasn't been able to get a solid job. They returned to their native Arkansas last winter in hopes of solidifying an income source. That hasn't really happened for them. God has been sustaining them, but it has been quite difficult.

I only heard from Guy once during all of our issues with Missy and Noah. After finally getting in touch with him, he said that he hadn't wanted to burden me with their issues because the issues that we were facing were, in his mind, so much greater. He felt that his were somehow less and would only serve to add to a mountain of burden already upon us.

I found out that Guy has been delivering pizzas for the last several weeks. The income for two adults and four children is coming from pizza delivery? Somehow my issues are greater than his? I couldn't believe it. If I were the "rich doctor" that everyone at home seems to think I am, I would've sent him a check right then and there. Unfortunately, we aren't in a place where philanthropy of that sort is any sort of real option.

Why do I mention this story about Guy and his family? It's really a two-fold reason. First, I mention their trial because it flies in the face of those people out there who ascribe to the non-biblical prosperity gospel. Guy and Mary are two of the greatest believers I know. They left everything and followed the Lord's call to a place where their lives, especially Guy's, were in jeopardy on a regular, if not daily, basis. They truly seek after the Lord, yet they are enduring this very real, quite difficult trial.

The second reason to mention it is to point out that we as believers must shoulder each other's burdens. We are commanded in Galatians 6:2 to "Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ." Notice there is no qualifying comment that says "as long as you aren't burdened." Guy had great intentions in not sharing the severity of their situation with me. He didn't want to give me something else to be weighted by. Ultimately, it is my duty to help him shoulder that, whether in prayer only, or with whatever resources I might be able to offer.

The command to "carry each other's burdens" reminds me of a bridge that used to be in the tiny town where I grew up. The bridge stood for about 80 years and weathered many significant floods. I remember a number of times when I watched the waters flood over the deck of the bridge; when the river was at its normal level, the deck of the bridge was about 40 feet above the water. The bridge was a truss design. With a truss bridge, each beam is interdependent on the others. There are main beams, but the lesser beams help to disperse tensions and pressures such that the whole is so much stronger. Each member has a load on it, but then also passes a load on to another.

The truss bridge is a great image of what we as believers are supposed to do with our burdens.
When we disperse our burdens on each other, we are able to carry much more than we could otherwise. We don't want to carry more, but the truth is, the burdens are going to come whether we can carry them or not. As for me, I'd rather have a network of support to help me hold up under the burden.

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
His strengthening of our family
His working in the lives of all those who have played such an important part in Noah's life already: those who have and continue to pray for him
My mom's continued recovery of her eyesight
Noah being home

"Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ."
Galatians 6:2

December 23rd

It's been a few days since I've put an entry on the blog. During the interim, Noah has been doing fairly well. He's been active doing what little chaps do: sleeping, eating, pooping... He has had some issues with grunting around during the night. He seems to develop gas that requires him to cry and cut up for quite a while, usually from about 22:00 until...let's say 03:30. That has made springing out of bed at 05:30 to head to work a bit difficult. Thankfully, I've got the next week off and that will be great.

Noah is growing. He's probably up to about 5 lbs 12 oz or more by now. He had his first visit with his doctor on Tuesday. Her name is Dr. Robinson. That apparently went well. He saw the ophthalmologist on Thursday and things were normal there. He had an early intervention person come to the house Friday and talk with Miss. This guy has more people checking up on him than anyone I know. He's doing great.

We have been hopeful to find someone to stay with Noah during the day while Missy works. We had a potential person from Grace Chapel, but she may decide not to do it. We will wait and see. We will keep praying that the Lord provides someone to take care of the little guy during that time.

Missy is doing pretty well. She was ill early in the week and has recovered from that. She seems to be the healthy one now.

I acquired a virus this past week, most likely from Anna, that has been a bit detrimental. I began to feel my voice being affected on Thursday and by Friday I was quite concerned about losing it. Yesterday morning when I awoke, I feared I was going to lose my voice. Last night our praise band had the Christmas concerts and I was slated to do a speaking part, a solo, and several harmony parts. God apparently wasn't too interested in my harmonies. The first concert I did the speaking part and solo, but lip synced about 75% of the rest. Before the second concert, I was quite certain that there would be no way that I could do the solo. I was really having difficulty talking, let alone singing. I prayed that God would give me the ability to do the monologue and the solo. He did just that. I hardly sang anything for the rest of the concert. I was thankful for God's grace to do what I did. I was disheartened about the other parts that I didn't get to sing because the harmonies were really fun to sing and sounded great. Phil was able to carry the load in my stead and did a great job.

Sometimes we are so sure that what we are doing is what God must want us to do. It is simply obvious that it is what He would have for us. Then something happens and we are made to face the fact that it wasn't His intention at all. I had practiced those parts for two and a half months. It would make no sense to not be able to sing them...would it? After all, I was singing for God, wasn't I? Maybe there was some pride in my heart that needed to be extracted. Check...done. Maybe my focus needed to be reset. Check again...done. In that moment as I sat there before the second concert knowing that there was no way I could do it, I was reminded of 2 Corinthians 12:9 where Paul, in speaking of his thorn in the flesh details God's response to his requests for removal of that weakness. There Paul says, "But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me."

Is that what we do? Do we boast in our weaknesses? Do we kneel at the foot of the cross and relish our weakness because it exalts the grace of the Almighty? In my weakness I am completely incapable of boasting. There is no good in any work I have done. Isaiah 64:6 verifies that.

All of us have become like one who is unclean,
and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags;
we all shrivel up like a leaf,
and like the wind our sins sweep us away.

It is at that point where we realize that even in our best efforts and desires, we are all miserably "short of the glory of God." In that instant, in that realization, God's grace is manifested in our lives and we get a sense of what it is He has done for us. Only in our realization of our weakness, even though we might to others seem strong, do we see the strength and power of the grace God has poured out on us. In light of that, we should fully embrace our weaknesses. In doing so, we glorify the Lord and become more like Him.

In Galatians 6:14, Paul writes "May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." To follow wholeheartedly, unabashedly after the Lord Jesus Christ means to give up ourselves and anything good that we think we are or have. It is to pour ourselves out at the foot of the cross and accept that in our best moment we are frail.

I am reminded of the old hymn "Nothing But The Blood of Jesus." The third verse says "Nothing can for sin atone, nothing but the blood of Jesus; naught of good that I have done, nothing but the blood of Jesus." For a number of years whenever someone has intended to esteem me, I have tried to reply simply with "naught of good that I have done." That's my way of trying to direct it to God. The best I can do is screw something up.

Last night was another in a long line of lessons that the Lord is working out in me. How great is His love and grace that He does not give up on me!

Thanks for checking on Noah and Missy

Please pray for the following:
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
His strengthening of our family
His working in the lives of all those who have played such an important part in Noah's life already: those who have and continue to pray for him
My mom's continued recovery of her eyesight
Noah being home

"May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world."
Galatians 6:14

December 17th

Noah made it through the first night in his new home without much fanfare. He awoke and ate as scheduled. There were no major issues. I can't say the same for his big sister Anna who proceeded to awaken at about 03:15 and cry inconsolably. Since Noah was busy throwing down a bottle with mommy, it was up to me to take care of Anna. I got to get back into bed at 04:20. Needless to say, it was a long night in the Collins house.

Noah did well today. He took Anna to school and then hung out with Miss all day. He apparently awoke a bit early for his last feeding and took more than he has been taking. It may be that his Collins eating genes are beginning to rev up.

Anna has had improved interactions with Noah this evening. I think she wasn't too sure about his coming home yesterday, but she is getting better. It won't be long before no one can do anything with Noah without her prior authorization.

Missy had a good day. Her GI tract is improving. I went to the store last night and purchased a large quantity of Powerade for her to consume. She's taken in a gallon today and seems to be doing better.

A visiting nurse came by today to weigh Noah and see how things were going. Apparently she sucked up an hour and a half of Missy's day that she was hoping to devote to napping. Everything was fine after the interrogation and Noah weighed 5 lbs 5 oz.

Tonight for dinner we had what can only be described as the best chicken pot pie known to man. I am not kidding. This pot pie is unbelievable. Scott & Mary Jo McClelland from Grace Chapel brought over the pot pie. I think Mary Jo needs to go into business making pot pies. I'm pretty sure she could easily develop a thriving business. Scrumptious...it's almost dessert-like it's so good.

To all of you who have been following along with Noah's progress on a daily basis, thanks. After last evening's festivities and the lack of time that we seem to be developing, we have decided that we will scale back the blog updates to once or twice a week. If there are any interval developments, I will be sure to add those. Thanks again for your faithful prayers, encouragement, and support during this time. It has meant more to us than words can express.

Thanks for checking on Noah & Missy today.

Please pray for the following:
Ebrahim's walk with the Lord and his marriage
Our family as we have to adjust to the new family dynamics
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
His strengthening of our family
His working in the lives of all those who have played such an important part in Noah's life already: those who have and continue to pray for him
My mom's continued recovery of her eyesight
Noah being home

"How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you?"
1 Thessalonians 3:9

Noah's Homecoming Pictures

I wanted to include some pictures of Noah as he was busting out of the NICU. My mom has wanted me to show some pictures of his room. He has, of all things, animals on the wall. He has a 6 foot giraffe and a fairly large Curious George. Miss & I teamed up to produce both. I did the drawings and she did the painting. Noah rounded out his big afternoon with a nap with me on the couch by the Christmas tree.

Noah' Home

Forty five days after his arrival, and thirteen days before his due date, Noah got to come home. We are so excited to have the little guy home! It was somewhat surreal for us as we were driving to the hospital because there was this odd sense to the whole thing. He's our son and has been here for a month and a half, yet he wasn't with us and now that scenario was being changed.

He came home without a monitor. We're thankful for that. If you've never heard one of those things alarm, be glad. Miss heard it yesterday when one of the leads fell off (the usual reason they alarm) and she almost lost wet herself it was so loud and shrill. I think they only serve to make everyone in the house miserable.

Noah took a little nap with me on the couch once we got home. It was a nice time. I remember doing that with Anna when she was a little squirt. Those are some of the simple joys that make life so vibrant. Some characters would rather be out in the wind and cold screaming obscenities at the Eagles. As for us, we'll take a nice warm couch and some nap time...at least until Noah is old enough to visit Neyland stadium and cheer on the Big Orange. Of course, we'll be doing that without the obscenities...

Missy seems to be doing a bit better with her GI tract. Hopefully she'll be able to get some food in system that will stay there long enough to provide nutrients. She's quite tired though today she running on the excitement of small fry being here. Please pray for her, as I know you have been.

Noah received a bassinet from our friends Fred & Liz. Their daughter Mira is Anna's friend. They had a bassinet and let us borrow/have it. We have some great friends here and we continue to be so thankful that the Lord has so richly blessed us.

My mom's vision has improved to the point that she was able to drive to church this morning. She apparently did a test run by herself to make certain that she could do it and then went back to get my nephew Isaiah. She reported that the all the people at church were so happy to hear that Noah was coming home they began clapping. Having grown up in that wonderful little church, I am certain that they were all delighted.

Jay called while we were getting Noah from the hospital. He reported that he and his family were in the throws of a blizzard. The area around Cleveland tends to get enormous amounts of snow. Today appears to be such a day. As long as you aren't having to get out in it, I guess it's okay.

For anyone in the area who has been keeping up with Noah's progress and doesn't attend Grace Chapel (Goldberg, Glatz, Judy, Daria, others...), I would like to invite you to the Praise Team's Christmas program on Saturday, December 22nd. We are doing two concerts: 5 & 7 PM. It is sure to be a great time and we would be delighted if you could come out.

Thanks for checking on Noah & Missy today.

Please pray for the following:
Ebrahim's walk with the Lord and his marriage
Our family as we have to adjust to the new family dynamics
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
His strengthening of our family
His working in the lives of all those who have played such an important part in Noah's life already: those who have and continue to pray for him
My mom's continued recovery of her eyesight
Noah being home

" How can I repay the LORD for all his goodness to me?"
Psalm 116:12

December 15, 2007

As noted last night, we were hopeful Noah would come home today...but it turns out tomorrow is his big day!!!! Despite his decreased intake yesterday, he gained 17 grams! He now weighs 5 lbs 5oz (2409 grams). His circumcision seems to be healing well according to his nurses and he is definitely less cranky today. He has been taking his bottles very well today...60ml a feed and sometimes asking for more! We are all so excited to be getting him home soon. It has been a long 6 1/2 weeks for all of us and we are ready to start his new chapter.
Tom and I were encouraged today by Anna's excitement over her little brother coming home. As Tom has mentioned, Anna has been having issues coping with everything and this week it had gotten worse. I am sure there will be adjustments made by all of us, but if she stays excited and involved, hopefully her transition will be smooth.
As Tom has mentioned, I have been extremely tired and last night at 2 am, I was almost pushed over the edge of exhaustion...food poisoning! I haven't been able to keep food in for almost 24 hrs now. Hopefully I will wake up feeling great tomorrow. Today has been a long day.
You will be glad to know that despite our failed efforts last night, we bought a Christmas tree today! Tom and Anna decorated it and Anna kept a running tally of how many of each kind of ornament we have...angels, Santas, etc. She had the excitement of the holidays when she brought me downstairs to see it.
Tonight Anna's advent verse was from Psalm 36, so Tom thought that would be a good chapter to have the verse for the blog tonight...

"Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies. Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the great deep. O LORD, you preserve both man and beast. How priceless is your unfailing love! Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings"
Psalm 36:5-7


Please pray for the following:
Ebrahim's walk with the Lord and his marriage
Our family as Noah comes home and we have to adjust to the new family dynamics
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
His strengthening of our family
His working in the lives of all those who have played such an important part in Noah's life already: those who have and continue to pray for him
My mom's continued recovery of her eyesight

December 14th

Noah is one step closer to coming home. He went "under the knife" this morning and was pretty cranky for the rest of the day. He didn't drink nearly as much as he was supposed to thereafter, which is perfectly understandable. I was able to get by after work and try to feed him a bit of his bottle. He didn't take it all, but I'm hoping he will improve during the evening and into the morning. His nurse said if he eats well overnight and gains weight he will come home tomorrow. That's so exciting, but somewhat surreal.

He passed his carseat test today without difficulty. He has been wearing a "smart" monitor over the last 48 hours that he may have to come home with. I don't understand the point of it since he also has the NICU cardiorespiratory monitors on. I am hopeful that they might decide that he doesn't need to come home with a monitor. I am certainly going to suggest that we not have one. The AAP actually doesn't recommend them except in specific situations and Noah doesn't appear to fit into those. We shall see...

Missy has been tired lately and has been in quite a bit of pain since she went for her follow up visit with Dr. Heinzel yesterday. I pray that she recovers soon, though that is sure to be hard with the little guy on hand demanding everyone's attention and care all of the time.

Anna has certainly been less cooperative over the last 48 or so hours. She has also had a noticeable increase in the amount of times we catch her sucking her thumb. She may decompensate significantly on us when Noah comes home. I am hoping that everyone else (Missy, Anna, & Noah) can hold it together because I don't think I can if they all decompensate as a group.

Missy's mom flew home this evening. I didn't have much of an opportunity to visit with her. I hope that she had an enjoyable visit and that she enjoyed getting to see Noah and Anna.

We went shopping for a Christmas tree this evening. Our friend had said that Home Depot had some trees for $20, but they were sold out. We stopped by the Boy Scouts' place and they wanted $45 for a tree that certainly wasn't the most glorious of trees. We went by two other places and ultimately came home empty handed. We may find one tomorrow, or we may resort to an artificial tree. I must admit that it seems that everyone here buys real trees. That seems like a "nice" idea at first, but when you consider the complete waste it represents it's sort of bothersome. All of those trees are cut down and eventually become a burden on the system to be cut up, mulched, etc. The real trees are really quaint though and they smell better than an artificial tree...

Speaking of smelling better...When we returned from our would be tree finding expedition there was a foul smell in the house. Missy initially thought that it was a gas leak(not the kind that seems to always be leaking from Uno and Samson). I quickly discerned that it was the smell of melting plastic and we discovered that in my diligent dishwasher operations prior to our departure I had inadvertently placed our pasta scoop in a precarious position resulting in its untimely melting via the heating element. We were glad to find that it didn't completely sever the scoop, but instead nearly transected the handle. Missy noted that "now it has a grip." You've gotta look on the bright side.

Please pray for the following:
Ebrahim's walk with the Lord and his marriage
Our family as Noah comes home and we have to adjust to the new family dynamics
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
His strengthening of our family
His working in the lives of all those who have played such an important part in Noah's life already: those who have and continue to pray for him
My mom's continued recovery of her eyesight

"My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."
Psalm 73:26

December 13, 2007

Noah continues to put on weight and has now beefed up to 5 lbs 4.2 oz (2386 grams)! Today he had on one of his size "newborn" (an upsize from preemie) outfits and it swallowed him. I guess he is between sizes right now. He has been taking 100% of his feeds from the bottle yesterday and today and is doing really well with it. He has a minimum that he has to take in each day ( around 330 ml). As long as his bottles for the day total 330ml he is good. Yesterday at his 2pm feed, he got through with his alloted 45 ml and wanted more. He ended up eating 53 ml before he was satisfied! He is having his circumcision tomorrow. He will also get his RSV vaccine and his carseat test in the next two days. He has to sit in his carseat for an hour with no apnea or heart rate drifts to pass the test. It seems like there is so much that gets done right before discharge. It is so exciting to know that it wont be long now!!!
Anna took Mimi to her favorite restaurant today for lunch...Peace-A-Pizza. They have been having a great time together. Unfortunately, Mimi heads home tomorrow night and Noah will most likely come home Sunday. She has gotten to hold him several times at the NICU and taken lots of pictures. Please pray for her to have safe travel home to Alabama tomorrow night.
Tom is currently at Praise Team practice working on their Christmas concert on December 22nd. At one point , they were worried that I would go into labor that day and Tom would miss the concert. I guess Noah wanted to make sure his daddy was able to sing his solo!
Today my doctor said I am healing normally and it will take a while longer to be fully up to par. It is always encouraging to hear that I am "normal " although I am sure that some might find that debatable!
I was just reminded by my good friend Samson, our Great Dane, that Samson and Uno, our Pug, haven't been mentioned in the blog (I don't think). They are doing well and greatly anticipating the arrival of their new friend Noah. Actually, they will probably think, "we just got Anna raised, and now they're bringing home another one!" Uno is about to start his night shift job for the evening...he sleeps with Anna every night. And Samson is sitting loyally by me as I type, sometimes giving me a nudge.
I was talking to my good friend Jeff and thought of his favorite verse... John 15:13. This verse makes a wonderful statement about close friendships. In the last six weeks, our close friendships have grown so much closer. We are so thankful for the friends the Lord has placed in our lives, most of all for His Son.

"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."
John 15:13

Please pray for the following:
Ebrahim's walk with the Lord and his marriage
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
My mom for continued comforting and encouragement after her surgery
Opportunities to be salt and light to others

Please thank God for (at least) the following:
His love, grace, faithfulness, and provision
His strengthening of our family
His working in the lives of all those who have played such an important part in Noah's life already: those who have and continue to pray for him
My mom's recovery of her eyesight

December 12th

Today has been a very encouraging day. Noah's nasogastric tube was removed today! He is now going to be taking all of his feeds by mouth. This is wonderful news. As long as he keeps eating and growing over the next couple of days he will be coming home. It may be Saturday. We won't know most likely until the evening before discharge.

Tomorrow is going to be a traumatic day for the little guy. He is likely to have his circumcision tomorrow, which may cause him to not eat as well. Once he recovers from that he should be set.

Without his tube he really looks amazingly like Anna. He's such a cute little guy. Apparently Anna's features are becoming for little boys as well.

Missy is obviously very encouraged about Noah's progress. She remains quite tired and somewhat emotionally labile at times, all of which is understandable. She worked today and that seemed to go okay by report. This evening she was able to spend some time with Julie. I pray that was a relaxing time for her.

My mom's vision continues to slowly improve. We have been able to keep in contact fairly regularly since her visit. All of the events with Noah and Missy have been good for our relationship with my mom. I think that these things have helped to begin to get rid of some barriers that have been there for a long time. I can't say how thankful I am for that. I have been praying that there would be some changes in the way we all get along and that has certainly been happening. That has been one of the greatest blessings of all. God is so good to us.

I found out some outstanding news today, other than that about Noah. My great friend Luke, whom I mentioned in some earlier blogs, found out that he and his wife will be returning from Germany this summer so that he can start an Allergy and Immunology fellowship at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. I'm quite sure he is overjoyed. He has been waiting to get a spot there for two years. I can't wait to see him. With the short distance from here to DC, we'll be able to visit them frequently. It's going to be great.

Thanks for checking on Noah and Missy today.

Please pray for the following:
Ebrahim's walk with the Lord and his marriage
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
My mom for continued comforting and encouragement after her surgery
Opportunities to be salt and light to others

Please thank God for (at least) the following:
His love, grace, faithfulness, and provision
His strengthening of our family
His working in the lives of all those who have played such an important part in Noah's life already: those who have and continue to pray for him
My mom's recovery of her eyesight

"I will tell of the Lord’s unfailing love. I will praise the Lord for all he has done. I will rejoice in His great goodness to Israel, which He has granted according to His mercy and love."
Isaiah 63:7

December 11, 2007

Noah is outgrowing his preemie clothes!!! He gained 1.1 ounces yesterday putting him at 5 lbs 2.6 ounces (2342 grams). He continues to do well and is still working on staying awake to bottle-feed. He took 84 % from his bottles yesterday and today had had one whole bottle at 8 am and over half of his bottle at 11am when I saw him.
Anna is doing well and very excited to have an active audience with Mimi in town. You wouldn't believe all the "cool tricks" she can think up to show Mimi. She and her best friend Uno are curled up going to sleep as we speak, hopefully.
Having Tom home makes everything so much better. He is currently having bible study so the torch has been passed for me to do the blog tonight. His December schedule is so much better than November. He has some much needed free time. Time is a priceless commodity for us right now.
I am working tomorrow to try to get somewhat back to normal. I go to the doctor on Thursday for yet another check-up. I think I am there every week... oh that's because I am.

Thank you so much for your prayers and for checking on Noah's progress.

Please pray for the following:
Ebrahim's walk with the Lord and his marriage
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
My mom for continued comforting and encouragement after her surgery
Opportunities to be salt and light to others

Please thank God for (at least) the following:
His love, grace, faithfulness, and provision
His strengthening of our family
His working in the lives of all those who have played such an important part in Noah's life already: those who have and continue to pray for him
My mom's recovery of her eyesight

"May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus"
Romans 15:5

December 10th

I was able to visit with the little man for a bit after work this evening. He is still plugging along. He has done fairly well with his bottle feeding. I discussed with the nurse the possibility of trying a nipple that might increase the flow of milk that he gets, thus reducing the work he has to do. She is going to try it during the second half of his feeds when he tends to tire out. He continues to grow well and was at 5 lb 1.1 oz (2298 grams) at his last weigh-in.

Missy is terribly fatigued in the last few days. I think that the disappointment of Noah's not coming home is wearing on her significantly. She also gets down every time someone asks her how he is doing and she has to report that he's "still" trying to take all of his feeds by mouth. Ultimately, the little guy isn't supposed to be out of the womb for another couple of weeks, so it's okay that he "still" has some things to work on. It's hard for mommys to be objective about those sorts of things sometimes. That's okay too.

We are all soon to sit down to a warm bowl of chili, so I will cut this entry short. I pray that everyone that continues to read about Noah is doing well. Thanks for remembering our family and continuing to petition the Lord on our behalf.

Thanks for checking on Noah and Missy today.

Please pray for the following:
Ebrahim's walk with the Lord and his marriage
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
My mom for continued comforting and encouragement after her surgery
Opportunities to be salt and light to others

Please thank God for (at least) the following:
His love, grace, faithfulness, and provision
His strengthening of our family
His working in the lives of all those who have played such an important part in Noah's life already: those who have and continue to pray for him
My mom's recovery of her eyesight

"The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail."
Isaiah 58:11

New Photos

December 9th

As a means of being more efficient, Missy wrote the following regarding Noah's current status.

The roller coaster continues with Noah's feedings. He dropped back down to 44 % bottle feeding yesterday. Today he was doing well when I saw him. I could tell a difference in his efficiency when eating. His suck was much stronger, and he took the first half the bottle much faster than he has been. He was probably around 60% bottle so far today but we will see if he was able to keep that up or improve. Noah most likely hit a major milestone today...5 lbs! This morning he weighed in at 4 lbs 15.8 oz (2261 grams), so I am assuming he has gained two tenths of an ounce today. He actually is out growing one of his preemie outfits!! I was excited because something was getting too small for him, almost.

We had a good day. We all were able to go to church this morning. Our friends at Grace Chapel continue to be a wonderful support and encouragement to us. There is always someone else coming up to give us encouragement. Thanks to everyone.

Tonight was the children's Christmas program and Anna, along with the other children in the Sunbeams class, got to lead off the show. Missy's mom was glad to be able to be here for such a wonderful night. It was a great time and a real blessing. The most entertaining parts of such programs always has little to do with what is supposed to be going on. Kids are always making funny faces, waving, zipping their pants...all sorts of things. It was great.

I was able to spend some time after the program talking to Nick Bassill. I've never had the opportunity to get to know him and it was a great conversation. I pray that we will get to know each other more in the future. A few days ago, he and his wife Kristen gave us a bag of about 200 newborn diapers. I'm sure Noah will get great use of those. Again I thank God for the Body of Christ and the blessings He continues to pour out on us.

I spoke with my friend Ebrahim today and he informed me that his relationship with his wife has improved markedly during the last several days. The Lord is actively working in his life and He is beginning the process of healing their marital issues. I am so excited for him and the things God is doing. It's great to see the Lord in action.

After considering the Christmas program and some of the discussion that Nick and I had, I have been reflecting on how it is that the Lord looks on us. For those of us under His grace, He looks at us as children. When Anna draws something that she claims is an airplane and wants to give it to me as a present I don't condemn her for her lack of an accurate depiction of a given aircraft. I rejoice that she earnestly made this...drawing to give to me. She did her best with it and gave it to me out of love. I get excited about it. I'm certain that God looks on us in an even better manner. As the Lord said in Matthew 7:11, "If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" When we come to the Lord with the attitude of a child, He looks on us in the same manner. Ultimately, we have to come without pretense to the throne of grace. When we do that and God moves in us, we have no choice but to be amazed.

Thanks for checking on Noah and Missy today.

Please pray for the following:
Ebrahim's walk with the Lord and his marriage
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
My mom for continued comforting and encouragement after her surgery
Opportunities to be salt and light to others

Please thank God for (at least) the following:
His love, grace, faithfulness, and provision
His strengthening of our family
His working in the lives of all those who have played such an important part in Noah's life already: those who have and continue to pray for him
My mom's recovery of her eyesight

"When Jesus saw this, He was indignant. He said to them, 'Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.' "
Mark 10:14

December 8th

It appears that Noah's feeding tailed off yesterday to 62% and has remained about the same today. He just doesn't seem to want to eat very much. I tried to convince him this morning that he needed to eat so that we could get him home, but he was too busy sleeping. I am hopeful that he's just going to hit a stride and it will be a done deal. He is up to 4 lbs 15.6 oz (2260 gms)! For whatever reason, we've really been looking forward to 5 lbs.

Noah was decked out in a premie outfit that our friends Jim & Catherine Lewis had given him. It is decorated with a cowboy and horse. He looked smashing.

Anna attended a "princess" birthday party for her friend Katie Gehrman today. It was great for her, though I must admit that there was a little too much femininity associated with it all for my comfort... I had asked Anna if she wanted me to dress up as a princess, but she didn't think that was a good idea. Whew! Dodged that one...

Missy's mom made it safely from Alabama tonight. We are glad that she has come to visit. We all went by the hospital this evening so that she could see the little man.

As I wrote on the 6th, the verses that have been entered into Noah's blog are certain to affect not only him but those who read about him. I am reminded of multiple verses that speak to the power of the Word of God. I am so thankful that God has given us His Word for guidance. Paul instructed Timothy in 2nd Timothy 3:16 & 17 that "all Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." May we use the Word to train Anna and Noah, to encourage others, and to glorify God.

Thanks for checking on Noah and Missy today.

Please pray for the following:
Ebrahim's walk with the Lord and his marriage
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
My mom for continued comforting and encouragement after her surgery
Opportunities to be salt and light to others

Please thank God for (at least) the following:
His love, grace, faithfulness, and provision
His strengthening of our family
His working in the lives of all those who have played such an important part in Noah's life already: those who have and continue to pray for him
My mom's recovery of her eyesight

"For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."
Hebrews 4:12

December 7th

Noah has had a good day. He had taken all of his feeds by mouth as of the early afternoon. We will have to await the morning email tomorrow to see what the official tally has been. Miss was appropriately excited at the prospect of his going the full day without having supplementation through the nasogastric tube. We shall see...

Missy has had a good day as well. She continues to get stronger daily. She and Anna were able to get out and do a bit of gift purchasing for Christmas. We also went over to our friends', Forrest and Julie Fernandez, for the evening. It was a good time of pizza and fellowship. We are so thankful for their friendship and encouragement. The Lord has richly blessed us in that regard and I know that Missy counts Julie as one of her closest friends.

Missy's mother, Margaret, is flying up tomorrow and will be with us for a week. We are hopeful that Noah will get to come home during that time and that Margaret will be able to aid in the transition for everyone.

My mom reports that her vision status, and consequently her propensity to yell out in public lavatories, has not changed since Thursday. She does have a trip planned for tomorrow with her sister, so it sounds as though she continues to make progress.

Today marks the 66th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. That "date which will live in infamy" saw the loss of nearly 2,400 American lives and thrust the United States fully into World War II. My mother's father and Missy's father's father were both soldiers, and subsequently prisoners of war, in the European theater. I am thankful to have that legacy in our family. I am thankful for every soldier, sailor, airman, and marine who dons the uniform today to stand in harms away for the sake of the United States of America. For all of the issues that we face as a nation, the Lord has blessed us beyond measure and for that I am extremely grateful.

Thanks for checking on Noah and Missy today.

Please pray for the following:
Ebrahim's walk with the Lord and his marriage
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
My mom for continued comforting and encouragement after her surgery
Opportunities to be salt and light to others

Please thank God for (at least) the following:
His love, grace, faithfulness, and provision
His strengthening of our family
His working in the lives of all those who have played such an important part in Noah's life already: those who have and continue to pray for him
My mom's recovery of her eyesight

"I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ."
Ephesians 3:17b & 18

December 6th

Noah has done splendidly with his feeds today. Miss called to get an official report for the day and he apparently has taken all of his feeds by mouth with the exception of a little half of a bottle at 11:00. That's great! The little man most assuredly wants to come home and be with his family.

They are going to recheck his hematocrit tomorrow to see if it has improved. I can't help but believe that it has given his new found fervor for eating. If he were to take everything by mouth tomorrow and Saturday, he'd be able to come home on Sunday. Go, Noah go!

Missy went to see Dr. Heinzel today. It seems that she won't be able to nurse Noah for a couple of weeks due to a yeast infection. She has been having a lot of pain with the pumping and when he has had the opportunity to nurse. This is a bit of a repeat from when Anna was nursing. Miss apparently has a predisposition to these sorts of infections and they are excruciating.

Missy's mom is coming up to visit for a week on Saturday. She will be flying up from Alabama. Perhaps she will bring some warm weather with her since it was 20 here this morning.

In reviewing the verses that I have previously entered in Noah's blog, it brings me great pleasure to know that all of the verses are those in which Noah can find strength, peace, and encouragement. I am reminded of Solomon's admonition to parents to "train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it" in Proverbs 22:6. I am also encouraged by the words of God in Isaiah 55:11 when regarding His word He says, "It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it." In King Jim's translation it says that God's word "will not return void." It's exciting that all of these verses that have been typed into Noah's blog are here for a purpose. I am quite certain that not only are they going to be important in Noah's life and faith, but they are also being used by God now in the lives of those who read them every day. That's awesome.

Thanks for checking on Noah and Missy today.

Please pray for the following:
Ebrahim's walk with the Lord and his marriage
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
My mom for continued comforting and encouragement after her surgery
Opportunities to be salt and light to others

Please thank God for (at least) the following:
His love, grace, faithfulness, and provision
His strengthening of our family
His working in the lives of all those who have played such an important part in Noah's life already: those who have and continue to pray for him
My mom's recovery of her eyesight

"For the word of the LORD is right and true; he is faithful in all he does."
Psalm 33:4

December 5th

After a five day hiatus from blog entry, I have returned. I think that Missy has done an outstanding job in my stead. She does much better with expressing herself than she ever gives herself credit.

Noah continues to plug along with the weight gain. As of last night's weigh in he was 4 lb 11.7 oz (2147 grams). I suspect that he'll hit five lbs by Sunday. Unfortunately, he is stuck at about 50% of his intake by mouth. He has to have two consecutive days of all feeds by mouth with continued weight gain before he can come home.

Miss and I visited with Noah tonight and he did a pretty good job of breast feeding. He was fairly awake for a good part of the feeding. He did tend to drift off several times though.

Missy mentioned his anemia in her post on Monday. It is normal for babies to have a decrease in their red blood cell count, and this happens a bit earlier in the early guys. So, to some extent, we expect Noah to have a decrease in his hematocrit. It's pretty low right now and I'm a bit concerned that it could be causing him to be tired to the point that he doesn't have the energy to take his feeds by mouth. During my residency training, we would frequently transfuse these little guys. Noah doesn't have any IVs to get blood, so he's just gotta make his own. He's doing well with that, but it takes a while for the count to come up. This all to say that his coming home may be delayed by his low hematocrit as much as anything.

Missy has worked the last two days and that has gone well it seems. She is sore and tired, but as I mentioned last week, that's not really a change. She is going to see Dr. Heinzel tomorrow because apparently her incision separated a bit this morning. She was concerned because there was some blood. I took a quick look this evening and suspect that it is related to a suture, and thus isn't something to get worked up about. We'll keep an eye on it.

My mom reported today that she could see the buttons on her clothes today. She said that she was in a public restroom and happened to notice that her good eye was clearer. She took the patch off of her other eye and noticed that she could actually see the skin (as opposed to simply the blurry outline) on her hand. She started yelling out with joy "Praise the Lord!" right there in the bathroom stall. I've gotta admit, that's a pretty funny scene. I can't help but envision some old lady in the stall beside my mom wondering where she could get the laxative that my mom had obviously taken...

This weekend I was able to visit with my friend Ebrahim. He is from Syria and is now in Memphis finishing his residency in internal medicine & pediatrics. He and I have known each other since he was an internal medicine intern on my team. We have been talking for several months about what it means to be a believer. He was raised as a "Christian," but had no real concept of what the Gospel is. Over the last few months we've been able to go through Romans and discuss things. I was blessed to be there Monday night when he gave his life to Christ. It was awesome. He came all the way from Syria to find the Lord. What a testimony!

Ebrahim married a pediatric resident this past spring. She is now in Boston doing a fellowship while he remains in Memphis. It has been extraordinarily difficult for them and they are questioning their decision to have gotten married. He and I discussed the need to change the frame of reference and prioritize things according to chapter 5 of Ephesians, specifically his responsibility to love his wife as Christ loves the church. Please pray especially for him and his wife at this time. They face a lot of restructuring and working on issues that are difficult. He is excited about his new life in Christ and certainly wants to be the husband that God would have him to be.

Thanks for checking on Noah and Missy today.

Please pray for the following:
Ebrahim's walk with the Lord and his marriage
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
My mom (Susan) for continued comforting and encouragement after her surgery for a detached retina
Noah's neonatologists and nurses
Opportunities to be salt and light to others

Please thank God for (at least) the following:
His love, grace, faithfulness, and provision
His strengthening of our family
His working in the lives of all those who have played such an important part in Noah's life already: those who have and continue to pray for him
My mom's recovery of her eyesight

"This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus."
Romans 3:22-24

December 4, 2007

Tonight's blog is going to be a little shorter because I worked today and I am tired.
Noah continues to feed around 50% from the bottle and 50% from the tube. He wears himself out drinking from the bottle and falls asleep about every other feed. I peeked at his stats on the nurse's computer screen and he measured in at 17 3/4 inches toward the end of November. That means he has grown an inch since birth! He weighed 4 lbs 10.9 oz (2123 grams) today...up 42 grams from yesterday!!!
Tom got home from Memphis tonight with no delays or complications! Anna and I are so glad to have him back. Uno and Samson were glad to see him home, too. He came bearing gifts for the kids from the Lewises so Anna was thrilled.
Tom is at the NICU as we speak visiting with his son since he hasn't seen him in 4 days.
I have felt weak and tired for over a month now and am finding encouragement in verses like Psalm 34:10. Even though our trials may tire us mentally and physically, at no point are we lacking.

"The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing."
Psalm 34:10

Please pray for the following:
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
My mom (Susan) for continued comforting and encouragement after her surgery for a detached retina
Noah's neonatologists and nurses
Opportunities to be salt and light to others

Please thank God for (at least) the following:
His love, grace, faithfulness, and provision
His strengthening of our family
His working in the lives of all those who have played such an important part in Noah's life already: those who have and continue to pray for him

December 3, 2007

Tonight I was ready to put Anna to bed and she threw me a curve ball. "I want to tell my little brother goodnight." So what did I do? I put her in the car and headed to the hospital and she told Noah, "good night". While we were there, I found out that his eye exam earlier this afternoon went well. He is Stage 1 which means normal according to the nurse. His iron was increased today because his hematocrit was a little low, but his doctor felt like this would correct itself because his body was already making immature red blood cells . The increased iron will just give him a boost. Now we are both on iron for our anemia. He is feeding a little over 50% orally, so he is getting the hang of things. After a three or four day streak of large weight gains ( around 60-70 grams/day), he slowed down a bit and gained 2 grams yesterday, but this is normal. He is now 4 lbs 9.4 oz and taking in 42 ml per feed every three hours.

Tomorrow night Tom will get home from Memphis!!! We are supposed to have "wintry" conditions here, so pray that he gets here safely and without too many delays. Our friends, Jeff and Mary, had their healthy baby boy Allen today, and Mary and Allen are doing well!!!

Do you ever feel like you make the same mistakes over and over again, and then think "when will I get this through my head?" Well I do daily. I make plans that I think would be perfect (like a scheduled C-section on Dec.21st, 2007), and it seems like God always trumps me with plans that surpass mine by miles. I guess I continue to plan because I am human, but Noah's birth has once again reminded me that God has plans that we can't even imagine. Tom and I have said many times this past month that we wonder what all has happened that we don't even know about that has glorified God. He can take what could have been a tragic event and turn it into a beautiful witness of His love for all to see.

"But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations."
Psalm 33:11

Please pray for the following:
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
Tom's travel home
My mom (Susan) for continued comforting and encouragement after her surgery for a detached retina
Noah's neonatologists and nurses
Opportunities to be salt and light to others

Please thank God for (at least) the following:
His love, grace, faithfulness, and provision
His strengthening of our family
His working in the lives of all those who have played such an important part in Noah's life already: those who have and continue to pray for him

December 2, 2007

We woke up to sleet/snow/rain this morning and it has continued throughout the day. Needless to say, it's cold. Church was excellent this morning. A group spoke who had just returned from Kenya with pictures and stories. Anna was invited to play with her friend Katie for the afternoon, and all of a sudden I had a few hours to myself. Julie and I went to see Noah for his 2 pm feeding, and as always had a great time. He is now taking 40 ml per feed. At 2 pm, he took all but 13 ml from a bottle. His nurse said he had done the same for her the past two feeds. So that would mean he is feeding around 75% orally today. We'll have to see if his morning email reports the same figures. Luckily for me there were no diaper mishaps today! He continues to melt my heart with his smiles. All the NICU staff says we are just waiting on him to get his eating figured out and then he is home. I am hopeful that he will be home by the end of the week. I almost forgot to put in the answer to the question I am asked the most...4lb 9.3 oz (2079 grams).

Tom's visit in Memphis is going well. Today he had some free time at drill and was able to get some reading done for CHOP. He visited with some of our best friends, Jeff and Mary, last night, and he and Jeff decided the best visiting happens at the best bbq place in town. Please pray for safe travel home for Tom on Tuesday. Also keep Mary and Jeff in your prayers...Mary is 40 weeks pregnant and tomorrow they will have their 3rd child!!! It has been wonderful to share, commiserate , and encourage each other through our pregnancies, and I am sure it will continue once our babies are home!

At church, I was blown away again by the love that continues to be poured on our family. In the 3 hour period, I had one family give us around 200 newborn diapers, one family ask Anna to play, another wanting to know if it was okay to send around another sign-up sheet for meals, rides,etc., several more ask if they could help with Anna or if we needed anything, one said call anytime for anything, and I could go on and on. I was reminded today by someone that Christianity isn't just about Heaven, it's about life here too, and people want to minister in all these different ways. Sometimes one of the hardest things to do is ask for help but with a church family like Grace Chapel, it's not as hard. You really don't even have to ask...it's just done when someone sees a need.

Thanks for checking on Noah and the rest of us today!
Please pray for the following:
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
My mom (Susan) for continued comforting and encouragement after her surgery for a detached retina
Noah's neonatologists and nurses
Opportunities to be salt and light to others

Please thank God for (at least) the following:
His love, grace, faithfulness, and provision
His strengthening of our family
His working in the lives of all those who have played such an important part in Noah's life already: those who have and continue to pray for him

"Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good. His love endures forever."
Psalms 136:1

December 1, 2007

Happy Birthday to Noah!!!! Today is Noah's one month birthday. It is hard to believe how far he has come in such a short time. This morning he weighed 4 lb 8.5 oz (2055 grams) which is 78 grams more than yesterday and he is averaging an increase of 35.1 grams a day over the past week. So as of today, he is closer to 5 lbs than 4lbs!!! He continues to take around 45% of his feeds orally and is remaining alert/awake longer during his feeds. Apparently since it was his birthday he decided he could be a little mischievous. I changed his diaper at 11am and 5pm and both times he "showered" his outfit and blankets! His nurse informed me, after the 5 pm incident, that at his 8 am change , he shot poop everywhere! Your birthday doesn't come around every day, you might as well have fun when it does. Anna and I invited our close friend and neighbor, Nancy Browne, to go with us to the hospital this afternoon to meet her smallest neighbor. Nancy took some pictures that hopefully will make it to the blog once Tom gets home, so every one can see how good he looks. After leaving the hospital, we rode around looking at Christmas decorations...Anna's favorite December past time. For those of you who have never been to Havertown in December, it is a sight to behold. Virtually every home looks like the Griswold's in Christmas Vacation. Thank you so much for following Noah's progress!

Tonight, Anna brought over book with a picture of a dove and told me,"This is Noah's story, Mommy." I asked her why and she quickly said," because Noah let the dove fly away when the flood was over, so this is Noah's dove." Her memory continues to amaze me. So tonight, I chose the verse to which Anna was referring. It may not come across as a very powerful or inspiring verse at first glance, but when your three year old remembers scripture, it is an awesome thing. The Lord loves His children and chooses to bless us with them.

"When the dove returned to him in the evening, there in its beak was a freshly plucked olive leaf! Then Noah knew that the water had receded from the earth."
Genesis 8:11


Please pray for the following:
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
My mom (Susan) for continued comforting and encouragement after her surgery for a detached retina
Noah's neonatologists and nurses
Opportunities to be salt and light to others

Please thank God for (at least) the following:
His love, grace, faithfulness, and provision
His strengthening of our family
His working in the lives of all those who have played such an important part in Noah's life already: those who have and continue to pray for him

November 30, 2007

Today was an early morning for our family. Anna and I took Tom to work this morning, so he could catch the train to the airport after work. Anna wanted to see her brother on the way home, so we headed to the NICU with Anna in he pajamas. I was so glad we did, because he was wide awake and watching and listening to everything we said. Anna really enjoyed this visit because most of the time when we go at night, he is asleep. I returned for his 11 am feeding and he slept through most of it. He managed to melt my heart in his sleep though. When I was leaving, I kissed his cheek and he smiled. This morning he weighed in at 4 lbs 5.7 oz (1977 grams) ...up an ounce from yesterday! He is still trying to get the hang of oral feeding but he is making progress. The nurses keep telling me that one day it will click for him. Right now he knows what to do but it wears him out.

Please continue to pray for Tom's weekend in Memphis. He will get to visit with some of our closest friends and eat some really good barbeque, so it's not bad that he has to go, just bad timing.

In the past, I have always been a worrier. Over the last 30 days, I have been able to give my worries to God very easily. I have tried so many times before to do this and failed every time. The Lord has taken this burden from me and that is why I chose Matthew 6:34 tonight. God has better plans for us than we can comprehend, so there is no reason for our worries. He loves us.

Thanks for checking on Noah today!!!!

Please pray for the following:
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
My mom (Susan) for continued comforting and encouragement after her surgery for a detached retina
Noah's neonatologists and nurses
Opportunities to be salt and light to others

Please thank God for (at least) the following:
His love, grace, faithfulness, and provision
His strengthening of our family
His working in the lives of all those who have played such an important part in Noah's life already: those who have and continue to pray for him

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
Matthew 6:34

November 29th

Noah reached 4 lbs 4.7 oz (1948 grams) today. That guy is just growing like a weed now. There was some concern tonight about the frequency of his pooping. It seems he is going quite a bit. I mentioned to the nurse that a likely culprit could be the fortifier that they have been adding to his bottle. She gave a curt "oh, okay," and went on about Miss needing to drink less milk. Some people just don't get it... I don't say these things to hear my head rattle. I say them because I've actually given them some thought and think it could help the situation. I don't know how many times these same sorts of scenarios have to unfold during Noah's hospitalization before some of these folks listen.

The little man continues in an open bed. He is really just working on feeding now. I was able to hold him for about 25 minutes tonight. He's such a sweet little guy. Noah is derived from Hebrew and means rest, comfort, or peace. It truly fits him.

Missy continues to improve daily. She is eagerly anticipating Noah's discharge; Anna and I are as well. Miss is planning to go to work next week.

I don't have a whole lot more tonight. I want to spend some time talking to Miss before my four day trip to Memphis for Guard duty. It always seems that I have to do that when I want to be home the most.

In keeping with the verse that I included last night, I have decided on the subsequent verse in the 23rd Psalm. It's interesting that the verse says "He makes me lie down." That implies that the psalmist may not necessarily want to lie down, but God makes him. So often we are caught up in running to and fro busy with some self-induced hectic schedule that we don't have time to find rest. God wants us to be at rest, at peace. He makes us lie down in those green pastures of rest so that we may know that rest. The whole 23rd Psalm is about the rest, comfort, and peace that God provides us. It's interesting that I have been moved to recite that to Noah given the meaning of his name... The Lord is gracious.

Thanks for checking on Noah and Missy today.

Please pray for the following:
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
My mom (Susan) for continued comforting and encouragement after her surgery for a detached retina
Noah's neonatologists and nurses
Opportunities to be salt and light to others

Please thank God for (at least) the following:
His love, grace, faithfulness, and provision
His strengthening of our family
His working in the lives of all those who have played such an important part in Noah's life already: those who have and continue to pray for him

"He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters."
Psalms 23:2

November 28, 2007

Today has been a crazy and wonderful day. Tom is having to work really late tonight and asked me to write for him. Sorry I am not quite as poetic as Tom. Noah looked great this morning. He looks so big to me now even though he is 4 lbs 2.3oz (1880 grams). I know most of you are thinking how in the world can 4lbs look big but remember he got down to 2 pounds and change at one point. He is doing very well and is really impressing the doctors and nurses with his progress. His nurse overwhelmed me a bit today by saying, "once he gets going with the bottle, he'll be home sooner than you think". So I replied " I know. Yesterday they said as early as next weekend." She looked me dead in the eyes and said " get ready, it is going to be sooner than you think." As we talked, I got the feeling it will be sometime next week! Very exciting and very overwhelming! So, I came home and did as she instructed...I started finishing getting ready.

Anna is so ready for her little brother to get home. I told her tonight that it would be soon and she quickly responded,"Tonight!" I told it would be in few days. She helped me get his room ready after she got home from church. What a great big sister she is! She had Spanish at school this morning and came home singing in Spanish and actually knew what it meant. She continues to amaze me. I can't wait until Anna and Noah can really play together.

Tom is heading to Memphis this weekend for Air National Guard drill. Please pray for safe and easy travel for him. His flights there always seem to be delayed or canceled and very frustrating.

Thank you so much for keeping up with Noah and his improvements. Thank you for your prayers, meals, rides, etc. The love we have been shown during this month has been truly amazing and inspiring.

I (Tom) just arrived home and wanted to be sure to add a verse to today's blog. I recited the 23rd Psalm to Noah the other evening when I visited him. As I was considering it, the first verse struck me. There is so much peace and assurance in that short verse. I think that it reminds us too that God is to be our focus. Not only will we not "want" because the Lord provides, but also we should not "want" what He does not provide. To some extent I can almost hear the psalmist saying "I shall not, I must not want." When we find our contentment in the Lord, we shall not want.

Please pray for the following:
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
My mom (Susan) with her difficulties after her surgery for a detached retina
Noah's neonatologists and nurses
Opportunities to be salt and light to others

Please thank God for (at least) the following:
His love, grace, faithfulness, and provision
His strengthening of our family
His working in the lives of all those who have played such an important part in Noah's life already: those who have and continue to pray for him

"The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want."
Psalm 23:1

November 27th

In keeping with the tag team approach set forth by yesterday's entry, the following is Missy's update regarding Noah today.

When I walked into Noah’s pod in the NICU this morning, I exclaimed “Look at my big boy in a crib!”. The nurses laughed because I was so excited to see he was no longer in his isolette. As noted yesterday, this transition was expected to occur tomorrow (Nov. 28), but he was doing well enough to switch early. Each milestone is elating to me. He weighed in at 4 lbs 1.1 oz (1847 grams) this morning, and he took 36 % of his feeds orally! Again today, he received his entire 8 am feeding via bottle and was tired when I arrived at 10 am. I never realized eating could be such a good workout. Noah is having fewer and fewer events of oxygen desaturation and low heart rate each day. One thing I don’t think we have noted is that he already has a his own personality. He is so sweet and smiles all the time whether he is asleep or awake. Many of his facial expressions are identical to his sister’s. Anna and he are going to have so much fun together. He is progressing so well that we are hopeful he will be coming home in the next couple of weeks.

When I saw Noah, it was great to see the little guy in his open bed. He was sleeping soundly until I began to bother him at which point he quickly began to grunt and stretch around. I held him in the rocking chair for a bit and then had to hurry home. I can't wait until I get to come home and hold him here. I am quite suspicious that he will be coming home by the end of next week. I suspect his oral intake will take off over the next five or so days.

Missy is feeling well. She went to the office today and performed a couple of cleanings. She felt sore and tired afterward, but noted that she feels sore and tired every day, so this was not atypical. She is planning to have a full schedule on the docket next week.

My mom seems to be doing a little better today. She had a rough day with the sudden fear that she could never see out of her eye again. She was able to reason through that and God gave her a peace about it.

Tonight I was able to meet with my friend Scott Fisher. We meet weekly to discuss what God is doing in our lives, share scripture, and pray. It has been really good. He has been an encouragement and it's been great to get to know him. The opportunity to spend time as Solomon wrote in Proverbs 27:17 is invaluable; "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." I think it is imperative that we as believers find others with whom we can maintain accountability and explore the word.

In keeping with what I wrote last night, I was considering grace and our inability to tip some fictitious scales of righteousness in our favor. So many of our family, friends, or neighbors plug along through life and think "if I do plenty of good things, I'll get to heaven." All the while, they miss the fact that any goodness that we generate is contaminated and far short of God's glory. In Isaiah 64:6, Isaiah wrote "for all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away." Thank God that He has made a way that we might be made right through Christ.

Thanks for checking on Noah and Missy today.

Please pray for the following:
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
My mom (Susan) with her difficulties after her surgery for a detached retina
Noah's neonatologists and nurses
Opportunities to be salt and light to others

Please thank God for (at least) the following:
His love, grace, and faithfulness
His strengthening of our family
His working in the lives of all those who have played such an important part in Noah's life already: those who have and continue to pray for him

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."
Ephesians 2:8-10