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