Thanksgiving 2007

Noah's weight has leveled today. He seems to be stuck at 3 lbs 10 oz. Apparently the neonatologist is a bit concerned with Noah's weight gain. For those who have been reading the blog regularly, this is something that I have been concerned about for some time. I have been previously "reassured" that everything was fine. It's sort of annoying when that happens. I am not sure what their plan is to get him going. I don't know if there is any plan to evaluate reasons why he is being "pokey" with his weight gain. I was going to ask the neonatologist today when we visited, but there was no physician there because it was a holiday.

Noah continues to do fairly well off of CPAP. He has intermittent episodes where he forgets to breathe or he strains a bit and his heart rate decreases. Overall, he seems to be doing okay with that.

His jaundice looked a little bit better today. That may be related to his having had four stools overnight. Perhaps he won't have to go back under the lights.

Missy was having a lot of burning with her incision this morning when she woke up at 04:00 to pump. She also has been having some tenderness from the pumping. As a result, she stayed home while Anna and I went to the Philadelphia Thanksgiving Day Parade. Miss was able to get some sleep and seemed to be doing a bit better when we got home.

Anna and I were off to the parade this morning. The weather was great for it. We met our friends Forrest & Julie Fernandez and their children, and Elliot & Owen Tucker at the train station. We all road the train into Suburban Station and went to a spot by City Hall. I think everyone had a great time. Anna loved seeing the balloons and the Disney characters. It turns out, unbeknownst to myself or Missy, that Anna is a Daisy Duck fan. Who knew? We ended up leaving quite a bit before the parade was over so that we could catch our planned train back. The parade continued on for another 45 minutes or so after we departed. It was a wonderful time. Anna and I really wished that Miss could've been with us. Next year, the four of us will be able to go.

When we got home, we found that a couple of our friends from church were raking our yard. They knew we were going to the parade and had hoped to surprise us with a cleanly raked lawn. We caught 'em red handed! Can I say enough about our church? I won't name them by name because they may not want that. Suffice it to say, we are extraordinarily grateful for such a gracious gift. The thought was wonderful. Thank you too (you know who you are) for taking such great care of Anna on Wednesday nights!

I talked with my mom last night. It seems that she has been having some difficulty with her vision in one eye since she came up to visit us. At first she thought it was a cataract. I had encouraged her to see an ophthalmologist. She saw one yesterday and was found to have a detached retina. She is to undergo surgery tomorrow. She is quite concerned (worried) about the surgery and about the possibility of losing her vision in that eye. I have told her that I would let the people at our church know that this is going on. For those who read the blog, please pray for her and also be sure to pass it on to others to pray.

We were able to have a fabulous Thanksgiving dinner tonight at the Fernandez house. It was a great time. They are wonderful friends and we dearly love them. God has blessed us with so many amazing people. Thanks Fernandez family for a great dinner and great time.

As I thought about a verse to include tonight, I recalled Philippians 4:6 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." However, I realized that I had used Philippians 4:6 & 7 to round out an earlier post on November 7th. As a result, I have selected another. I hope that everyone had a blessed Thanksgiving. Thanks for checking on Noah and Missy today.

Please pray for the following:
My mom (Susan) as she undergoes surgery for a detached retina
Noah's neonatologists and nurses
God's continued working in the lives of our friends and family
Opportunities to be salt and light to others
Noah, and his big sister Anna, that they would come to know the Lord at a young age
Our working with Anna during this difficult transition time for her
My friend Luke as he finally returns from Iraq after 15 months to Germany to be with his wonderful bride Ivy

Please thank God for (at least) the following:
His love, grace, and faithfulness as exhibited in our lives
God's 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

"Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name."
Psalm 100:4